I Treat People, Not Pockets: The Human Side of Gum Disease

Harley Street Dentist

It is tempting to think of dentistry in charts and numbers: millimetres of gum recession, pocket depths, bone levels, indices. But for Harley Street periodontist Dr Gita Auplish, the real story lies not in measurements but in people. “Periodontics isn’t about pocket charts,” she says with her familiar mix of candour and humour. “It’s about people.”

A Discipline of Empathy

Many patients arrive in her practice anxious, embarrassed, or even ashamed. Gum disease carries stigma: bleeding gums, bad breath, the spectre of tooth loss. Yet shame, as Gita points out, is useless. “You’re here now. Well done. Shame doesn’t heal — action does.”

This is not just bedside manner; it is clinical necessity. Gum disease cannot be managed by the clinician alone. It requires partnership. “You need me for deep cleaning, I need you for daily hygiene,” she says. “It’s teamwork — fifty-fifty.”

The relationship is not a transaction. It is an alliance, often stretching across years, even
generations of families. Her patients stay because they feel understood, and because the practice
culture — discreet, boutique, familial — fosters continuity.

The Humour in Seriousness

Perhaps unusually for a Harley Street specialist, Gita leans on humour. She describes patients with gum disease as being “long in the tooth” — the old saying made literal. She uses vivid comparisons: gums with the surface area of a palm; bleeding there as unignorable as bleeding in the hand.

It is humour with a purpose. These turns of phrase make the science memorable. They strip away medical jargon and replace it with images anyone can grasp. Patients leave not only treated, but educated — armed with metaphors they can repeat at home.

A Question of Discernment

Her refusal to be swept along by trends is another aspect of this human-centred philosophy. “Lasers aren’t the answer for gum disease,” she notes, “the evidence just isn’t there.” She embraces technology where it makes genuine difference — 3D scanning, CBCT diagnostics — but stops short of gimmickry.

Curiosity, she argues, must be tempered by discernment. Patients are not for experimenting on. Instead, her focus is to give them clarity, safety, and care rooted in evidence.

Continuity and Trust

For Gita, trust is a long-term contract. Gum disease is lifelong; treatment does not end with a single course of therapy. The challenge is consistency. Patients return for ongoing care not because they are compelled, but because they feel tethered to her with honesty and discretion.

“High-profile patients are human beings too,” she remarks. “Discretion and trust apply to everyone.”

This emphasis on continuity is what turns dentistry from a clinical service into a relationship. Families come back, children become adults, adults become parents — and the practice evolves with them.

Teaching and Learning

Her role as teacher underscores this humanity. Gita lectures postgraduates, an experience she says keeps her sharp. “Teaching is learning twice,” she observes. Questions from the next generation ensure she interrogates her own assumptions and keeps her skills fresh.

This cycle — patients keeping her honest, students keeping her sharp — prevents the detachment that can creep into elite practice. It keeps her rooted in people rather than
procedures.

A Different Kind of Harley Street

Harley Street may evoke images of gloss and cosmetic perfection. Yet inside Bandlish & Auplish, the ethos is different. There is warmth, laughter, candour. There are difficult conversations about hygiene and prevention, but they are delivered with empathy. There is discretion for high-profile patients, but without hierarchy.

In short, there is humanity. “Dentistry is intimate,” she says. “It’s empathy as much as skill. People want to be heard, not prodded.”

Beyond Numbers

By saying “I treat people, not pockets,” Gita reframes an entire discipline. Gum disease becomes not an abstraction of indices but a human experience that requires trust, continuity, and humour.

It is a simple philosophy, yet one that challenges both patients and professionals to rethink what periodontics really means. It is not, in the end, about numbers on a chart. It is about people, their health, and their confidence in the world.

To learn more about Dr Gita Auplish’s patient-centred approach to periodontics and gum health,
visit https://londondental.co.uk/