What You Should Know About Gum Disease
Gum disease is an oral health problem you should know about!
When considering your oral health, don’t forget about your gums! Comprehensive oral health includes more than just your teeth, and at G Dental 32, we want to give you the tools necessary to keep your teeth and gums healthy, happy, and thriving. If you don’t take proper care of your gums, they can become infected over time, leading to periodontal, or gum, disease.
Periodontal disease is quite common and is treatable in most cases, but it is also entirely preventable. This means with a bit of extra care and consideration, you hopefully will never have to deal with the pain and irritation that comes with gum disease in the first place.
What is gum disease?
Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums that can be rather serious. It is called periodontal disease because “periodontal” means “of, denoting, or affecting the gums and other tissues surrounding the teeth.” Periodontal disease, then, is a disease of the gums and tissues surrounding your teeth.
What causes gum disease?
Gum disease is caused by a build-up of plaque on your gums. Plaque is a thin film made up of bacteria that, when not properly cleaned away, can cause infection and gum irritation. Plaque originates from bacteria in your mouth that mixes with the food you eat and drinks you drink such as milk, juice, soda, bread, pasta, and fruit. Without prompt tooth-brushing, acids from the bacteria in your mouth mix with the carbohydrates you eat and drink to create a sticky substance that sticks to your tooth enamel and gums. This substance is plaque.
Over time, if this plaque is not removed and continues to build up, it can cause issues in your mouth. When plaque begins to stick to your teeth and gums, it can cause bad breath and even a textured feeling on your teeth. You also may start to notice sore or swollen gums, and you might even see blood when you brush or floss your teeth. These are all signs of the beginning stages of gum disease and mean you should act fast to prevent further build-up of plaque and even worse problems in the future.
Symptoms of gum disease.
As previously mentioned, bad breath, a textured feeling to your teeth, swollen or bloody gums, and tenderness at your gums can all be initial symptoms of gum disease. There are some additional symptoms, though, that you should also keep an eye out for. These symptoms can be more serious indications of more advanced gum disease:
Discolored gums (often bright red or purple in color)
Pus between teeth and gums or when brushing teeth
Loose teeth or teeth that fall out entirely
Pain when chewing
Spaces between teeth that weren’t there before
Receding gums (which means more of your teeth near the gums are showing)
Changes in your bite
Treatment of gum disease.
Treatment varies depending on the severity of your gum disease. There are two levels of gum disease that determine treatment and severity.
Gingivitis is a more mild level of gum disease that can often be remedied by bettering your oral hygiene habits. Most symptoms at this stage of gum disease (usually swollen, painful, bleeding gums, or bad breath) can be treated via thorough teeth cleaning at the dentist and consistent maintenance moving forward.
Periodontitis is a much more serious level of gum disease and is often considered a dental emergency. When gum disease reaches this point, there are more serious consequences like tooth loss or even the loss of bone in the jaw in advanced stages. There are still treatment options available when gum disease has reached the periodontitis stage, but there may be some irreversible effects at this point.
Long-term effects of gum disease (if left untreated.)
As already mentioned, when gum disease is left untreated it can turn into periodontitis which is a much more serious stage of periodontal disease. At this stage, there can be permanent long-term effects that can even be as serious as bone loss in the jaw. Additionally, the bacteria from periodontitis can seep into the bloodstream via the gum tissue, which can cause many problems for other areas of the body.
When periodontitis is left untreated and the infection spreads throughout the body, gum disease has been known to be linked to respiratory disease, rheumatoid arthritis, coronary artery disease, and blood sugar problems. Gum disease can affect a lot more than just your gums, so it’s important to make sure that you prevent or treat gingivitis before it becomes periodontitis.
How to make sure you’re taking good care of your gums.
The best way to treat periodontal disease is to stop it before it happens! There are two important ways to do this:
Maintain good oral hygiene. Daily oral hygiene is the first step to making sure that you don’t develop gum disease. This means brushing your teeth at least twice a day. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and apply light pressure to your teeth as you brush. Also, floss every day—this is the best way to remove plaque and other food debris from the areas in between your teeth that are difficult to clean with just a toothbrush.
Schedule regular dental cleanings. This is where G Dental 32 is here to help! Regular dental cleanings are a crucial part of your overall oral health. At a regular dental cleaning appointment, one of our skilled dental hygienists will get your teeth extra clean (cleaner than you can get them at home) using a small mirror, a scraper, a power brush, and, of course, floss. At a teeth cleaning, which you should schedule every six months, we’ll clean the bits of plaque off of your teeth that you can’t get at home, making sure bacteria doesn’t have a chance to fester and grow.
Although it’s a common dental diagnosis, gum disease doesn’t need to become a problem for your teeth! With regular at-home dental maintenance, plus your regularly scheduled teeth cleanings at G Dental 32, periodontal disease won’t stand a chance. Make an appointment today to get on track with your teeth cleanings and ahead of gum disease!
