<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Thank you very much for your enlightening replies. Summary follows. I've no answer about periodontal disease, BUT when I had my gums surgically clipped & a graft from the roof of my mouth put on a particularly worn gum below my bottom front teeth, I learned two things (it was done in two appointments, so the first was learn, the second was knowledge): 1. take a really good strong gf painkiller BEFORE the surgery, and don't be a hero afterwards - keep taking the painkillers. 2. have a good supply of gf baby food on hand, a blender & straws Asked if graph worked: Well, yes the graft worked. Except now, ten years later, a new dentist took x-rays of my lower teeth & announced that I hardly have any roots in the very teeth that received the gum graft, so maybe in hindsight that would have been the time to perhaps do something else. Of course, no one realized then that I was lacking that much calcium due to being celiac etc etc. The other "unforeseen" consequence was that after have my gums raised (because the pockets were too big - ie, gum disease) no one took into account that the teeth that already had crowns were now going to have enamel exposed again, so guess who suddenly got cavities at the gum line? But, we do what we do, and can't cry over what's been done. I truly am at the mercy of whoever my dentist is. How on earth can I, a lay person, possibly know if they have my best interests at heart or my cheque book? ****************** I have never heard of this procedure, I would do some research if I were you. Could you not just take antibiotics? ******************** I had periodontal surgery about a year ago. I am 40 and had to have my gum grafted from the roof of my mouth onto my bottom teeth in the front. All went well, except I had some bleeding problems afterwards. ************** As a practicing Dentist, your treatment does sound common and routine from a dental standpoint. This type of treatment can be quite successful. There is a lot of variation from patient to patient. The success rate is dependant upon the extent of the damage, the strength of the remaining teeth, the amount of forces upon the rest of the teeth and the overall type of existing occlusion or bite. Good luck. Be sure to take your post-op medications to prevent any discomfort. *************** Periodontal disease, to the best of my knowledge is just another of the auto-immune diseases that one is likely to have or have more severely if one is a celiac. I can not tell you how many hours I have spent looking up at the light in a periodontal dentist chair. As luck would have it I did not get diagnosed as a celiac until I was 56. Then my gum disease problems went away as soon as I was GF. Too bad it could not have been sooner. Good Luck. *********************** My husband has CD and also had periodontal problems caused by poor absorption of vitamins, etc. He had deep cleaning twice and now follows up quarterly with periodontist one time and dentist the next. He has been on the GF diet for almost 2 years and his perio problems are improving. The pockets have lessened and the gums are in better health. He is sooooo glad that he did not go thru the gum surgery as was recommended. This was before he found out he had CD and he was just feeling lousy and couldn't face any more surgery, etc. He takes Freeda Quintab-M and Freeda Vitamin E as well as Citracal with D and NEVER cheats on his diet. He is also meticulous with home care -- brushing and flossing. The were going to do osseous surgery (same as suggested for me) on three quadrants of his mouth and also a complete debridement. I think that what they do is remove loose parts of the gum and then do a deep cleaning and stitch the rest of the gum back together. There was some discussion of a graft at one spot. The total cost including an occlusal adjustment was $2600. Glenn had already had one deep cleaning of the entire mouth before seeing the periodontist. This is where they scrape below the gums and really clean everything that is down in there into the roots. It can be painful, but they do give you shots to deaden the area. It actually went quite well. He had some really deep pockets in between the teeth in a couple of areas that needed attention. I had forgotten that after the second deep cleaning that he developed an area that apparently was infected. Our dentist discovered it during one of his quarterly check-ups and sent us back to the periodontist. He did a new treatment where they inject antibiotics into the affected area in kind of a wax like substance and it stays in there until after about 30 days when the wax works itself out of the gum. The treatment was successful and his gums have healed so beautifully that they now say that the surgery is not needed. In the midst of all this, the periodontist had a heart attack and passed away at 52 years of age. His son was just graduating from periodontist school and he took over the practice and he was the one who administered the antibiotic treatment and he is the one who says that the surgery is now not needed. He also agrees with us that the GF diet has contributed to the present good health of his gums. He now absorbs vitamins, etc. as he is healed in his intestine. *************** Please let me know what you find out ...I'm in the same boat....I can give you some help,tho...2 days before he pulls the first tooth, start taking ARNICA 30C 2 pills every two hours and for 2 days after...then 4x a day until he takes out stitches.This is a homeopathic remedy for trauma....prevents swelling, cuts down on bleeding and promotes healing.....a real god send....works like a charm. You can get it in most health food stores for about five dollars a vial.... Hope this also helps some of you. Ginger, Mississippi