Eliminate Gum Disease
Your gums are a crucial part of your oral health. If they get infected, your risk for a variety of serious health consequences increases dramatically. Thankfully, our experienced dentists offer multiple options for treating gum disease and ridding your mouth of bacteria.
Explore our guide to learn more about gum disease and how you can avoid it.
What Is Gum Disease?
Periodontal disease, commonly known as gum disease, is an oral infection that begins in your gum tissue. It’s caused by a build-up of bacteria in your teeth and gums that hardens into a sticky substance called plaque. This is usually the result of poor oral hygiene, such as not brushing and flossing enough or skipping your regular dental checkups.
According to research, half of adults who are 30 or older suffer from gum disease. The key is to get treatment right away — if you catch gum disease early in its progression, it’s usually easy to reverse. However, the longer you wait, the more likely it is that your health will suffer consequences.
The Stages of Gum Disease
There are two major stages of gum disease:
- Gingivitis – This is the early stage of gum disease when your symptoms are mild and easy to reverse. Your gums will start to look red and inflamed, and you may notice bleeding when you brush or floss, but you likely won’t feel any pain.
- Periodontitis – Without treatment, gingivitis can evolve into the more serious stage of periodontitis. At this point, the bacteria will start to destroy the underlying bones and tissues in your mouth, creating deep pockets between your teeth and gums. Peridontitis can be very painful and often requires surgical treatment to eliminate.
Risk Factors For Gum Disease
There’s a wide range of factors that can increase your risk of gum disease. Some of these include:
- Tobacco use
- Diabetes
- Medications that reduce saliva flow
- Certain health conditions such as cancer and AIDS
- Stress
- Genetics
- Aging
Our Treatment Options
If your infection is still in the gingivitis stage, you may be able to eliminate it yourself with improved oral hygiene at home. Sometimes all you need to do is brush and floss more thoroughly. If this doesn’t work, we can perform a scaling and root planing treatment.
Also known as a deep cleaning, this procedure involves using special dental tools to remove plaque from above and below the gumline. We’ll also smooth out the roots of your teeth, making it harder for bacteria to attach to them. By seeking treatment early, you can avoid costly health problems later on.
Once your infection reaches the periodontitis stage, we may have to resort to surgery. We’ll exhaust every non-surgical option first, but measures like improved oral hygiene or a deep cleaning may not get the job done at this point. In the event that you need surgery, our dentists are both experienced oral surgeons who can ensure your health and safety during treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gum disease results from a buildup of plaque in your gums. Plaque is a sticky substance that forms from bacteria that hardens on your teeth. Without proper oral hygiene, plaque can spread through your mouth and infect your gums, leading to a variety of health issues.
To avoid gum disease, make sure to brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. It’s also crucial to visit your dentist every six months for cleanings and checkups.
Without treatment, gum disease will only continue to get worse and impact your health more. However, your dentist can eliminate the infection with a variety of periodontal treatments, depending on the severity of your case.
The earlier you seek treatment for gum disease, the less likely to are to suffer develop serious health issues.
In its early stage, also known as gingivitis, gum disease is rarely painful to the point that you may not even notice it. But as the infection advances, you’ll start to feel severe pain in your gums as they pull apart from your teeth and form pockets. Gum disease only grows more painful the longer you avoid treatment, so it’s crucial to attack it early.
Recent research has shown surprising links between gum disease and heart problems. According to a Harvard study, patients with periodontal disease are two to three times more likely to suffer from heart attacks, strokes, and other serious cardiovascular events.
While the exact link isn’t known for sure, medical researchers suspect it has to do with gum disease triggering chronic inflammation. This high level of inflammation can contribute to developing atherosclerosis, a build-up of fatty plaque in your arteries that can obstruct your blood flow and result in coronary issues.
Visit Comfy Smile Dental For Gum Disease Treatment
If you have gum disease, or if you even suspect that you may have gum disease, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with us. It’s better to be safe than sorry and you can save yourself a lot of pain down the line by treating your infection early.
Call our Davie practice at (954) 251-0804 and schedule a consultation today.