Gum Disease Treatment

Taking care of your teeth is one of the most important things that you can do to help make sure your smile is beautiful and will last a long time. Routine visits to your dentist can help make this happen by keeping the teeth clean and working with patients to avoid common teeth issues that can ruin the teeth in no time. Our team at Gentle Dental Family & Cosmetic Dentistry is here to help you with all of your dental needs, including preventing the onset of periodontal disease.

Understanding Periodontal Disease

While many conditions can happen to affect the perfect smile, one common issue is periodontal disease. This condition happens when infections and inflammation attacks the bone and gums that are around the teeth, the same ones that work to provide support to the teeth as well.

The disease does progress and can be stopped early, if it is caught by a trained dental team. The earliest stage is known as gingivitis and is quite common. With gingivitis, the patient may notice that their gums are red and swollen and it is possible that slight bleeding will occur. While in this stage, our team at Gentle Dental Family & Cosmetic Dentistry can work with the patient to prevent further progression and help eliminate the gingivitis completely.

However, if the patient does not seek help from a dentist, the disease is able to progress into a condition known as periodontitis. This occurs when the gums begin to pull away from the tooth. This can cause bone laws in the jaws and many teeth will loosen until they fall out. Because it takes time to progress to more severe stages, it is most common to see this disorder in adults.

What Causes Periodontal Disease?

Patients often wonder what causes this kind of disease with their dental health. It is often the cause of poor dental hygiene and a lack of routine visits to their dentist. With both of these in place, periodontal disease is preventable and the patient will not need to worry about the damage it can cause to the teeth.

Periodontal disease is often caused due to the bacteria in the mouth getting time to sit around and infect the tissue that surrounds your teeth. As they attack, this can cause inflammation around the tooth that will continue to progress, if unchecked, until the patient has periodontal disease.

Any time the bacteria of the mouth is allowed to stay on the teeth too long, they will start to form their own special film, known as plaque. Brushing your teeth and visiting our team at Gentle Dental Family & Cosmetic Dentistry can help keep this plaque from hardening into tartar. This buildup eventually spreads below the gum line, which makes it harder to clean off and will provide ample opportunity for the bacteria to grow and multiply, causing more damage to the teeth.

What are the Warning Signs?

We encourage our patients to be on the lookout for some of the common warning signs that come with periodontal disease. This will help prevent more issues down the line. Routine visits to a qualified dentist will help prevent the periodontal disease from showing up in the first place.

However, if it is has been a long time since the patient has gone for a routine dental checkup, then they need to be on the lookout for some of the common signs of this disorder. These include:

  1. Bad breath that does not seem to go away. The patient should also look for a bad taste in the mouth that does not go away either.
  2. The gums appear swollen and red.
  3. The gums start to bleed or get tender.
  4. It is painful to chew.
  5. The teeth start to get sensitive and loose
  6. The gums are pulling away from the teeth and the teeth do not seem to fit together as well as they used to when you eat.

To avoid these problems and more with the health of your teeth, it is a good idea to visit a dentist to help take care of all the health aspects of your mouth. Our team at Gentle Dental Family & Cosmetic Dentistry is here to help.

How Can I Prevent Periodontal Disease?

The best thing to do is prevent periodontal disease in the first place. When it is caught in the early stages, it is easier to control and reverse without ruining the health of your mouth.

Gingivitis is easy to control and treat through regular professional cleanings and good oral hygiene. Our team at Gentle Dental Family & Cosmetic Dentistry is here to provide both to all of our patients.

It is possible to treat periodontal disease when it progresses, but the patient must be prepared for more intense treatments to get it done. This could include medications, corrective surgery, and deep cleanings that are not fun.

Patients do not need to wait until their scheduled dental visit to take care of their smiles; they can do some of the work at home. While at home, we encourage our patients to take the proper steps to prevent periodontal disease in the first place. Some easy steps that they can follow include:

  1. Take the time to brush each day to remove as much bacteria from your mouth as possible. Follow this up with flossing.
  2. Schedule routine visits with your dentist at least one time a year, though many patients need to go two times. Your dentist can do a full checkup of your mouth and help decide how often you need to visit.

Our team at Gentle Dental Family & Cosmetic Dentistry is here to provide you with some of the best dentistry that you need to help improve the look and feel of your mouth. Whether you are looking for routine visits or have serious dental conditions to handle like periodontal disease to heal, we are here to help. Contact our office today to see how we can help make your smile brighter.