Smyle Dental – Dr. David Zaghi / Gum Disease
Gum disease is a bacterial infection that gradually erodes the gum tissue and the bone holding your teeth in place. Left alone it leads to tooth loss, and it has been linked to heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Smyle Dental Bakersfield treats it at every stage, starting with the least invasive option that will actually resolve it.
What we treat
Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection, not simply sore gums. It erodes the tissue and the bone supporting your teeth, and if left untreated it can cost you the tooth. Treatment goes after the bacteria below the gumline rather than just the symptoms above it.
Often called a deep clean, this is the main non-surgical treatment for moderate to advanced gum disease. It reaches below the gumline to clear the bacterial infection and smooth the root surfaces, creating the conditions the tissue needs to heal and reattach.
Scaling removes the plaque and hardened tartar that collect below the gumline, where brushing and flossing simply cannot reach. It is the cornerstone of treating gum disease, and the point at which most patients notice the bleeding stop.
Regular professional cleanings remove the buildup that causes periodontal disease and decay in the first place. We also show you what is happening in your own mouth and which areas you are missing, because what happens between appointments decides the outcome.
Gingivitis is the earliest stage: red, swollen gums that bleed when you brush or floss, caused by plaque along the gumline. Treated at this point it is reversible. That window is the single best reason not to ignore bleeding gums.
Gum disease is managed rather than cured outright. Once the infection is under control we set a maintenance interval that suits your mouth, which for many people is more frequent than a standard six-month check-up, and we monitor the pockets at every visit.
Smyle Dental Bakersfield follows the same systematic approach every time, so you always know what stage you are at. We start with a full periodontal assessment, measuring the pockets around each tooth and taking images to see the bone level underneath.
That assessment decides the treatment. Early-stage gingivitis often resolves with professional cleaning and a change to your home routine. Moderate to advanced disease is treated with scaling and root planing, usually across more than one visit so nothing is rushed.
Afterwards we re-measure. If the pockets have shrunk and the bleeding has stopped, you move onto a maintenance interval. If an area has not responded, we tell you plainly and discuss what comes next rather than repeating the same treatment and hoping.
Why people stay
First visits are booked longer on purpose so nothing is rushed, and we stop the moment you raise a hand. Most new patients tell us they have put this off for years.
Images, options and the cost in writing first. The least invasive option that actually solves the problem is the one we recommend.
Santa Clarita and Bakersfield run to the same standard with Dr. Zaghi at both. Book whichever is closer, or move between them.
The average dentist in Bakersfield sits at 4.3 stars across a handful of reviews. This practice holds 4.9 across 932 reviews, 822 in Bakersfield and 110 in Santa Clarita.
You may be able to use your own dental insurance if you have a policy that allows you to choose your own dentist. If this is the case, we are happy to file your insurance claims for you so that you can be reimbursed by your insurance company.
Both offices hold time open each day for pain, swelling and breakages, because those never arrive on a convenient schedule.
Reviews
Dr Zaghi is amazing and fast! Got everything done in a timely manner! The staff is so nice and great with their patients. If you need a dentist please come here!
Brianne MullinBakersfield, Google review
Bleeding is the most common early sign of gum disease and it is not normal, however common it is. At the gingivitis stage the condition is usually reversible, which is exactly why it is worth being seen early rather than waiting for it to settle on its own.
A routine cleaning works above and just below the gumline. Scaling and root planing, the deep clean, goes further down to clear infection from the pockets that have formed and smooth the root surface so the tissue can reattach. Which one you need depends on how deep those pockets measure.
Deep cleaning is carried out under local anaesthetic, so the treatment itself should not be painful. Gums can feel tender for a few days afterwards. We book these appointments longer than a standard visit, we explain each step before it happens, and we stop the moment you signal.
Gingivitis, the early stage, can be fully reversed. Once it has progressed to periodontitis and bone has been lost, the disease is controlled and maintained rather than cured, and the bone that has already gone does not come back. That is the honest answer, and it is the reason we push people to come in early.
You may be able to use your own dental insurance if you have a policy that allows you to choose your own dentist. If this is the case, we are happy to file your insurance claims for you so that you can be reimbursed by your insurance company.
First visits are booked longer on purpose so nothing is rushed, and we stop the moment you raise a hand. Most new patients tell us they have put this off for years.
New patient offer
A comprehensive exam and a full set of x-rays, so you and Dr. Zaghi are looking at the same picture before anyone decides anything. Available at both offices.
New patient exam
$99
Mention this offer when you book
Santa Clarita · Bakersfield
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We answer during office hours, Monday to Friday. If you are in pain today, call the office nearest you.