A new treatment claims to end gum disease for sufferers in just five hours using a gentle gum stretching technique.
BOST—Bone one session treatment—lasts four to five hours and involves pushing back the gums to reach the root of the tooth.
Gum disease, the primary cause of tooth loss, affects up to 50 percent of the population with often irreversible consequences.
Early signs of infection are swollen or bleeding gums, bad breath and sensitivity. Known as gingivitis, if caught early the condition is easily treated with professional cleaning.
But in serious cases, the gums and underlying ligaments can become infected. This condition, periodontitis, may result in the teeth moving out of alignment. It can attack without symptoms and, despite careful oral hygiene, erode the bone supporting teeth and cause gums to recede.
Patients who undergo BOST treatment then have to maintain their teeth with a special kit, which helps to prevent reinfection. The treatment claims to offer a solution for those with advanced infection, though some problems can be so severe that extraction is the only option.