Hygiene appointment
Scaling and polishing above the gum line with tailored home-care coaching. Sufficient for gingivitis and for maintenance once disease is stable.
£89
Gum health · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Periodontal disease treatment in Marylebone: halting bone loss and keeping teeth for longer
Gum disease begins as gingivitis, a reversible inflammation of the gum margin, and in a susceptible minority progresses to periodontitis, where the infection tracks below the gum and dissolves the bone that anchors the teeth. It is usually painless until late, which is why the first sign for many people is a tooth that feels slightly loose or a gap that has opened. Bone that has been lost does not grow back, so the aim of treatment is to stop the process rather than reverse it: cleaning the root surfaces so the gum can reattach, teaching the home care that keeps them clean, and reviewing at short intervals for life. At Wimpole Street a hygiene visit will be £89, deep cleaning from £300 and a full course of periodontal therapy from £850, planned after charting every tooth.
- Perio therapy from £850
- Deep cleaning from £300
- Managed, not reversed
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- Gums that bleed on brushing or flossing, or that look red and puffy along the margin.
- A pocket chart from a previous dentist showing depths of four millimetres or more.
- Teeth that have loosened, drifted or started to look longer as the gum has receded.
- Persistent bad breath or a bad taste that toothpaste and mouthwash do not shift.
- Anyone with diabetes, a smoking history or a family history of tooth loss, who is at higher risk.
- Patients planning implants, crowns or aligners, where healthy gums are a precondition.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- Teeth with such advanced bone loss that they cannot be stabilised; these are better removed and the gap planned for.
- Anyone unwilling to change home cleaning or attend maintenance; treatment without both fails predictably.
- Active smokers who will not reduce or stop, in whom healing is markedly poorer, though treatment is still worth attempting.
- Uncontrolled diabetes, until blood sugar is managed alongside the gum treatment.
- A single acute abscess, which needs draining first before the wider disease is treated.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Full periodontal charting
Six measurements around every tooth record pocket depth, bleeding and recession, and radiographs show the bone level. Together they stage the disease and set a baseline to measure against later.
- 02
Cause and risk review
Smoking, diabetes, medications, stress and brushing technique all influence the disease. We go through them so the plan tackles why the gums broke down, not just the deposits.
- 03
Hygiene phase
Plaque and tartar above the gum are removed and you are shown exactly how to clean between your teeth with the right size of interdental brush. Nothing else works if this stage is skipped.
- 04
Root surface debridement
Under local anaesthetic, ultrasonic and fine hand instruments clean the root surfaces inside each pocket, usually one quarter or half of the mouth per visit over two to four appointments.
- 05
Re-evaluation
Six to eight weeks later the mouth is re-charted. Pockets that have shrunk are maintained; pockets that remain deep are considered for repeat debridement or a surgical approach.
- 06
Supportive care
Hygiene visits every three months to begin with, stretching to four or six once stable. Periodontitis is a lifelong susceptibility and this phase is what keeps the teeth.
Choices
Options & materials
Deep cleaning
Root surface debridement of localised pockets under local anaesthetic, for early periodontitis affecting a few teeth.
From £300
Periodontal therapy
Full-mouth debridement across several visits, re-evaluation and the first phase of supportive care, for generalised moderate or advanced disease.
From £850
Surgical treatment
Flap surgery to access deep pockets, with regenerative materials where the bone defect suits them. Quoted after re-evaluation.
From £1,200
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Gum assessment New-patient rate (usual fee £95). Full charting and radiographs (£20 each). | £30 |
Hygiene appointment £142 with Airflow stain removal. | £89 |
Deep cleaning (root surface debridement) Localised pockets, under local anaesthetic. | From £300 |
Periodontal therapy Full-mouth debridement over several visits with re-evaluation. | From £850 |
Periodontal surgery Where deep pockets persist after non-surgical treatment. | From £1,200 |
Supportive care visit Every three months initially. | £89 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
Successful treatment shows as gums that stop bleeding, pockets that shrink by a millimetre or two as the tissue tightens against clean roots, fresher breath and, often, teeth that feel firmer. Because the swelling subsides, gums may appear to recede slightly and teeth can look a little longer or feel more sensitive for a few weeks; this is the disease being controlled, not caused.
What treatment does not do is regrow lost bone or gum in any predictable way. A tooth that has lost half its support will keep the half it has, provided maintenance is kept up. Studies following patients for decades show that those who attend supportive care regularly lose far fewer teeth than those who do not, and that smokers and poorly controlled diabetics respond less well at every stage.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Clean between every tooth once a day with interdental brushes of the size you were shown; floss only where brushes will not fit.
- Expect sensitivity to cold for a few weeks after debridement; a sensitive toothpaste rubbed on the exposed areas helps.
- Use the chlorhexidine or other rinse only for the short period advised, as long-term use stains.
- Keep every supportive care appointment. Missing them is the commonest reason disease returns.
- If you smoke, ask us about support to stop; it is the single change that most improves the outcome.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- Recurrence. Periodontitis is a susceptibility rather than a one-off infection, and pockets re-infect if maintenance lapses.
- Increased recession and sensitivity as inflamed tissue shrinks; the teeth may look longer and gaps between them wider.
- Some teeth will not respond, especially those with very deep pockets, furcation involvement between roots or marked mobility, and may still be lost.
- Discomfort for a day or two after each debridement visit, occasionally with a small gum abscess as pockets heal.
- Surgical treatment carries the additional risks of any minor oral surgery: bleeding, swelling and slower healing in smokers.
- Regenerative procedures do not always produce new bone, and the amount gained is unpredictable.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
Gingivitis, yes, fully, with professional cleaning and better home care. Periodontitis, where bone has gone, is controlled rather than reversed. The lost support does not return, but further loss can usually be halted.
It is done under local anaesthetic, so the visit itself is comfortable. Gums are tender and teeth sensitive to cold for a few days afterwards, which ordinary pain relief covers.
Charting and a hygiene phase first, then two to four debridement appointments depending on how many teeth are involved, a re-evaluation after six to eight weeks and maintenance every three months. Most active treatment is finished within three months.
Because it is a different procedure: anaesthetised cleaning of root surfaces inside pockets, tooth by tooth, over several long appointments, followed by re-charting. A hygiene visit cleans above the gum in thirty minutes.
There are well-documented associations with diabetes control, cardiovascular disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Treating the gums is not proven to prevent those conditions, but the inflammation load it removes is real.
Yes. Charting and debridement can begin now at South Kensington or St Paul’s at the same fees, with supportive care in Marylebone after 1 October 2026.
Keep reading
Related treatments and guides
Marylebone, W1
Periodontal disease treatment at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
