Stages of Gum Disease in Frisco, TX
In the stages of gum disease, one is fully reversible and the next one is not. Few people are told which side of that line they are on — so this page explains how to find out.
The four stages of gum disease
The important boundary is between the first stage and the second. Everything before it can be undone completely. Everything after it can be stopped, but not reversed.
Healthy gums
Pockets measure one to three millimeters, the gum is firm and pale pink, and it does not bleed when you floss. Bleeding is not a sign that you flossed too hard. Healthy gum does not bleed when it is cleaned.
Gingivitis (the reversible stage)
Inflammation of the gum only. It bleeds, it may be red or puffy, and the pockets are still shallow. No bone has been lost. This stage can be returned to completely healthy with treatment and better daily cleaning, and that is the single most useful fact on this page.
Early to moderate periodontitis
The inflammation has reached the bone and some of it is gone. Pockets deepen past four millimeters, and bone does not grow back on its own. Treatment now stops the loss and keeps the teeth. The goal has quietly changed from cure to control, and most people are not told that it changed.
Advanced periodontitis
Deep pockets, substantial bone loss, gum recession, and teeth that may loosen or drift. Teeth can very often still be saved at this stage, but the treatment is larger and the maintenance is permanent.
Stages of gum disease: what to know first
Why we measure gums instead of just looking
Gum disease is invisible from the outside for years. You cannot see a pocket, and neither can we. That is why six readings are taken around every tooth with a calibrated probe and written down every time. That produces a number you can watch, and it changes the conversation completely. That number replaces a vague "a bit inflamed" with something concrete: the tooth at the back left was five millimeters in March and is three now. If a practice has not given you those numbers, you have not actually been told what condition your gums are in. Ask for them. Any practice should be able to hand them over.
Bleeding gums: a common symptom that is easy to overlook
Almost everyone who has gum disease knows their gums bleed and has decided it means they are brushing too hard. It is the single most common self-diagnosis in dentistry and it is almost always wrong. Bleeding is inflammation, and inflammation this early is the stage that reverses completely. The cruelty of gum disease is that it stops being reversible at roughly the point it stops being noticeable. The bleeding often settles down as the disease moves deeper. Feeling better is not the same as being better, and that is precisely why this is measured — not judged by how it feels.
Gum disease treatment near Frisco, Prosper and Plano
Wondering where you stand? We measure and treat gum disease at 8175 Custer Rd, Suite A110, Frisco, TX 75035. We are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM and Saturday from 9 AM to 3 PM. The office is closed Wednesday and Sunday, though our team still answers the phone on Wednesday. Patients come from Frisco and from nearby Prosper, Plano, Little Elm, Allen, Celina and McKinney. Call (469) 262-2111 and ask for a visit where your gum readings are explained.
Request an appointmentGingivitis vs periodontitis: what is the difference?
Two conditions, one continuous process, and a boundary that decides what treatment can achieve.
| Feature | Gingivitis | Periodontitis |
|---|---|---|
| What is inflamed | Gum only | Gum, and the bone underneath |
| Bone lost | None | Some, and it does not return on its own |
| Typical pocket depth | 1–3 mm | 4 mm and deeper |
| Reversible | Yes, completely | No — but it can be stopped |
| Usual treatment | Cleaning and better daily technique | Scaling and root planing, then maintenance |
| Afterwards | Back to ordinary six-month visits | Maintenance every three to four months, permanently |
What is a gum pocket?
The whole of this subject is one measurement, and it is far easier to understand drawn than described.
- Healthy — the probe stops at 1–3mm and the bone sits high against the tooth. Nothing to treat.
- Early pocket — 4–5mm. The attachment has begun to detach and deposits are collecting where a brush cannot reach.
- Deep pocket — 6mm and beyond, with bone lost around the root. This is the stage that loosens teeth, and it is painless until it does.
How to find out which stage you are in
You do not need a specialist for this, and you do not need to change dentists. You need three numbers and a straight answer.
At your next appointment, ask:
- “What are my pocket depths?” Six readings per tooth. Ask what the deepest ones are and which teeth they are on.
- “Have I lost any bone?” This is visible on X-rays and it is the question that places you on one side of the line or the other.
- “Is this gingivitis or periodontitis?” Those are different diagnoses with different treatment and a different long-term picture, and you are entitled to be told plainly which one you have.
Any practice should be able to answer all three from your existing record. If none can, that is itself the answer.
If you are a patient here, the readings are taken and charted at every recall visit, and your hygienist will show you the chart on the screen.
If your numbers point to periodontitis, the usual treatment is scaling and root planing, followed by periodontal maintenance to keep the pockets from filling back in. Our periodontics and oral surgery page shows how the rest of our gum care fits together.
What does a gum disease check cost?
You get the figure in writing before anything is scheduled, with the expected insurance contribution beside it.
You get the figure in writing before treatment starts. We accept all major PPO plans and file the claim for you, our membership plan takes a percentage off treatment, and CareCredit financing is available.
How plans usually cover gum treatment.
Basic on some plans, major on others
- What plans pay
- Which means gum treatment is paid at roughly 80% on one plan and roughly 50% on another, for identical treatment. It is one of the widest genuine variations in plan design, and it is worth knowing up front, before treatment.
- Deductible
- Usually applies either way.
What catches people out
- Which side of the line your plan puts it on changes your share by about 30 percentage points. We check the classification specifically for your plan — guessing at the common case is how people get surprised.
- Where it lands in the major category, a waiting period may come with it — six or twelve months of holding the policy before it is covered at all.
These are how dental plans usually classify this treatment — not a statement about your own plan. Yours is the one that governs, plans differ more than people expect, and the only reliable answer comes from reading your specific benefits, which we always do ahead of treatment and give you in writing.
And what changes out-of-network
A dentist who is in-network has signed a contract fixing what may be charged for each procedure and cannot bill you the difference. One who is out-of-network has signed nothing, so the full fee stands.
So the first difference is the price itself — the same treatment is simply allowed to cost more out-of-network, before anyone's plan is considered.
What you personally pay out of that depends on your own deductible and coinsurance, which is why there is no percentage here: it is not a property of the treatment, it is a property of your plan, and we verify yours before you commit. But two things follow for everybody. Your share is a share of a bigger number. And your annual maximum is spent by what the plan pays toward that bigger number, so the same treatment eats more of your benefit out-of-network.
An illustration, not a quote. Both allowed fees for gum treatment are not yet on hand, so the chart above shows a crown instead — the one procedure we hold both sides for. The in-network side is today's contracted allowance; the out-of-network side is what a single carrier allowed during a period when we were not contracted with it, and it is a few years old. Across the 23 procedures where we hold both allowed fees, out-of-network is between 1.2 and 5 times the in-network figure — most often a little over twice.
Check the going rate yourself
FAIR Health's dental cost lookup is free, needs no account, and is not ours — it reports what a procedure typically costs in your area. It does not know your plan, so treat it as a ballpark figure — not a final answer.
Ask us for the number first
We verify your specific plan before your appointment and give you a written estimate: what the plan is expected to pay, and what you pay. If we get it wrong we tell you why.
Bring an Explanation of Benefits
Treated somewhere else? Your EOB shows exactly what the plan paid and what it counted against your maximum. Bring one in and we will read it with you — whether or not you become a patient here.
None of this says out-of-network dentists are worse dentists. Plenty are excellent, plenty are out-of-network for sound reasons, and people choose a dentist for who that person is. What we think you are owed is the information, so that whatever you choose, you chose it knowingly. The whole thing, explained properly, or call (469) 262-2111 and ask.
- Hours
- Weekdays 9–6
Saturdays 9–3 - Languages
- English, Telugu, Hindi, Urdu
Arabic with Saba, our hygienist, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Vietnamese with Anh, our hygienist, Saturdays
Cantonese and Mandarin with Dr. Louie, our periodontist, on his scheduled days, by internal referral
Stages of Gum Disease FAQs in Frisco, TX
Grouped so you can go straight to the one you came for.
Stages of Gum Disease — common questions
What are the stages of gum disease?
Is gingivitis reversible?
Can periodontitis be reversed?
What do the numbers mean when the hygienist calls them out?
My gums bleed when I floss. Am I flossing too hard?
Does gum disease hurt?
How fast does gum disease progress?
Is gum disease linked to other health conditions?
What are the first signs of gum disease?
Where can I get my gums checked for gum disease in Frisco?
Toothache at 7am? You'll be seen today.
Same-day and Saturday appointments for toothaches, broken teeth, knocked-out teeth and lost crowns. Call us and we'll tell you what to do first, while you're still at home.
Everything else under this roof.
White Lotus Dental offers nine dental specialties inside one calm office on Custer Road. Having general dentists and an in-house periodontist on staff means your entire family can receive preventive, restorative, and surgical treatments in one familiar place.
Preventive Dentistry
Regular dental checkups, professional cleanings, night guards, and jaw-pain care. Every routine exam includes an oral cancer screening to protect your long-term health.
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Children's Dentistry
Gentle first dental visits, protective sealants, fluoride applications, and space maintainers. We accept Children's Medicaid and CHIP, and every young patient receives a toy-machine token at the end of their visit.
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Orthodontics
Clear aligners with Invisalign® and comprehensive traditional braces. Your treatment is fitted, monitored, and adjusted in-house by your trusted dentist.
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Missing Teeth
Permanent dental implants, dental bridges, and customized dentures planned using 3-D CBCT scans. Because our team includes a board-certified periodontist, your implant surgery, placement, and final crown are completed in the same building.
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Cosmetic Dentistry
Professional Zoom whitening, custom take-home whitening trays, and composite tooth bonding designed to brighten and refine your natural smile.
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Periodontics & Oral Surgery
Specialized gum disease therapy, scaling and root planing (deep cleanings), frenectomies, and periodontal surgery performed by our board-certified periodontist.
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Restorative Dentistry
Custom porcelain crowns, bridges, tooth-colored fillings, and full-mouth restorations crafted to match the natural look, feel, and function of your teeth.
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Sedation Dentistry
Relaxing dental care tailored to your comfort level. We offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for any routine clinic visit, as well as oral and IV sedation planned ahead with our periodontist.
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Emergency Dentistry
Toothaches, broken teeth, knocked-out teeth and lost crowns — seen the same day, Saturdays included.
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