Summary
Your gum is the most commonly neglected part of your oral hygiene.
But is it worth the risk?
Most individuals (about 9% of people in the US) only learn about the importance of gum health when it deteriorates. Periodontal or gum disease significantly threatens the jawbone, teeth, and underlying structure.
Without adequate treatment, gum disease can destroy the bone that supports teeth and cause them to loosen quickly.
However, the good news is that it can usually be prevented. When noticed at an early stage, you can navigate your way through advanced gum disease. Let’s learn more about it via topics like:
- Periodontitis – A Closer Look into the Gum Disease
- Early Signs and Symptoms of Gum Disease
- What Causes Periodontitis in Your Gum?
- The 4 Stages of Periodontitis
- Treatment Options for Periodontitis
Continue reading as we understand more about gum disease treatment, symptoms, and more.
Periodontitis – A Closer Look into the Gum Disease
Periodontitis is a dangerous stage of gum disease. A bacterial infection causes inflammation in the soft tissues surrounding your teeth. When left untreated, periodontitis can be a major problem for your bone. It erodes the jaw, supports your teeth, and causes movement and tooth loss.
How Common is Periodontitis?
More than 47% of individuals over the age of 30 in the United States suffer from periodontitis. That figure rises to nearly 70% for those aged 65 and older.
Who Does Periodontitis Affect?
Periodontitis is rare among people under the age of 30. However, its likelihood increases as you age. Nonetheless, it can affect people with poor dental hygiene, such as those who do not regularly clean and floss their teeth.
Some people are more genetically predisposed to periodontitis than others. If your biological parents or grandparents had a history of gum disease, you are more likely to get it, too.
Early Signs and Symptoms of Gum Disease
Individuals affected by periodontal disease may experience a variety of symptoms and signs based on the level of their severity. Let’s learn more about them in this section.
Bleeding Gums
The most frequent symptom of gum disease is bleeding gums, which typically signal a buildup of germs in plaque and pockets beneath the gum line, producing inflammation.
Tenderness & Redness of Gum
Other symptoms of gum disease include gum soreness and redness, a poor taste in the mouth, dry mouth, and tooth loss over time. Gum disease can cause bone and gum tissue loss around the teeth in adults, resulting in pockets too deep for regular dental cleanings.
- Bad breath
- Changes in the position of your teeth or loose teeth
- Receding gums
- Red, tender, or swollen gums
- The buildup of plaque or tartar on your teeth
- Pain when chewing
- Tooth loss
It is critical to monitor any changes in your mouth and see your dentist if you have any concerns. Regular check-ups and expert cleanings can help prevent and identify gum disease in its early stages.
The 4 Stages of Periodontitis
Periodontal disease develops and worsens with time. Gum disease occurs in four phases, which include:
- Gingivitis: Gingivitis is an early-stage gum disease that is less serious than periodontitis. It causes red and swollen gums, although bone loss around the teeth has not yet begun. However, gingivitis can be reversed if you improve your oral hygiene and visit your dentist in Grants for regular cleanings over time.
- Mild Periodontitis: When left untreated, gingivitis progresses to moderate periodontitis. At this point, your gums separate from your teeth, and you start to lose bone surrounding them. As a result, you will have periodontal pockets. Plaque, tartar, and germs become trapped in these pockets, where your toothbrush and floss cannot reach.
- Moderate Periodontitis: As periodontitis advances, you lose more bone surrounding your teeth. Bacterial growth continues to destroy the ligaments and soft tissues that support and maintain your teeth’s health. During this period, your gums may feel painful and sensitive.
- Severe Periodontitis: Periodontitis worsens when left untreated. As bone loss progresses, teeth may become loose and eventually fall out. In addition to bleeding gums, pus and inflammation typically surround the gum line, which can cause persistent foul breath (halitosis).
Periodontitis can affect both oral and general health. Research demonstrates a significant correlation between dental health and overall wellness. Patients with periodontitis are more likely to develop dementia, heart disease, stroke, and other major health problems.
What Causes Periodontitis in Your Gum?
Healthy adults often have hundreds of different microorganisms in their mouths. The majority of them are entirely harmless. When you don’t brush your teeth properly every day, bacteria grows and accumulates on them.
Periodontitis is usually caused by poor oral hygiene.
The consequences of not brushing your teeth and cleaning hard-to-reach regions in your mouth are as follows:
The bacteria in your mouth proliferate and produce a material called dental plaque. If you do not brush away the plaque, germs will cause minerals to accumulate on it over time.
This mineral layer, known as tartar, promotes bacterial development near the tooth’s root. Your body’s immunological response to this bacterial growth causes inflammation in your gums.
A periodontal pocket, or gap, may occur between the gum and the tooth root due to disruptions in the gum’s attachment to the root over time. When harmful anaerobic bacteria proliferate in the pocket, they can produce toxins that harm the teeth, gums, and supporting bone structures.
Treatment Options for Periodontitis
Professional Cleanings
During a professional cleaning, your dentist will polish your teeth, provide fluoride treatment, and remove tartar and plaque from the roots of your teeth. To promote recovery, any developed periodontal pockets must be thoroughly cleaned. Scaling and root planing, a thorough cleaning technique, will assist in removing tartar and any rough areas on the tooth root where germs tend to collect.
Antibiotics
When cleanings don’t seem to help persistent gum infections, your dentist may occasionally recommend antibiotics. Antibiotics work great for gum disease treatment and come in different forms, namely a gel, mouthwash, pill, or capsule for oral use.
Follow-up Appointments
Your dentist will want to check in with you after a few weeks and review your progress every three to six months. If periodontal pockets persist, they may offer other treatments, such as surgery.
Surgery
If irritation develops in areas inaccessible to flossing or brushing, your dentist may offer flap surgery to remove deposits behind your gums. Your gums are removed under an anesthetic, and the roots of your teeth are cleaned thoroughly. The gums are subsequently sutured (sewn) back in place.
If you have experienced bone loss, bone grafting may be performed concurrently with flap surgery to rebuild the missing bone.
Follow Oral Hygiene Practices
Your dental care team will teach you how to limit the amount of germs in your mouth, which includes keeping your teeth and gums clean. Your dentist will also teach you how to use toothbrushes and dental floss correctly, and they may prescribe other oral hygiene items like a water pick or mouthwash.
Here are a few ways to keep your teeth healthy:
- Brush your teeth twice a day using fluoridated toothpaste.
- Consider using an electric toothbrush; it may be more effective.
- Floss at least once a day to help eliminate plaque.
- Visit your dentist at least twice a year for a thorough cleaning.
- Do not smoke or chew tobacco.
Takeaway
- It is critical to monitor any changes in your mouth and see your dentist if you have any concerns.
- Individuals affected by periodontal disease may experience a variety of symptoms and signs based on the level of their severity.
- Most individuals (about 9% of people in the US) only learn about the importance of gum health when it deteriorates.
- Don’t let your gum diseases advance to a more serious stage – visit our experts at Sundance Dental Grants today!
