Definition
Gum disease is an inflammation of the gum line that can progress
to affect the bone that surrounds and supports your teeth. The three stages of
gum disease — from least to most severe — are gingivitis, periodontitis and
advanced periodontitis.
Signs & Symptoms
Gum disease can be painless,
so it is important to be aware of any of the following symptoms:
·
Gums that easily bleed when brushing or flossing
·
Gums that recede or move away from the tooth
·
Persistent bad breath or bad taste in mouth
·
Loose teeth
·
A change in the way your teeth come together
·
A change in the fit of partial dentures
·
Visible pus surrounding the teeth and gums
·
Sharp or dull pains when chewing foods
·
Teeth that are overly sensitive to cold or hot temperatures
Cause
Bacteria in plaque, a
sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth, cause gum disease.
If plaque is not removed it can harden and turn into tartar (calculus).
Additionally, dental plaque will continue to form on the tartar. Brushing or
flossing cannot remove tartar; a dental professional will need to conduct a
dental cleaning to remove it.
Diagnosis
If not removed through
daily brushing and flossing, plaque turns into tartar, which becomes
a rough and retentive surface encouraging further build up plaque. The plaque
bacteria can infect your gums and teeth, and eventually, the gum tissue and
bone that support the teeth will be impacted. There are three stages of gum
disease:
·
Gingivitis -
This is the earliest stage of gum disease. It is the inflammation of the gums,
caused by dental plaque buildup at the gum line. You may notice some redness or
swelling of the gums, or some bleeding during brushing and flossing. At this
early stage gum disease can be reversed since the bone and connective tissue
that hold the teeth in place are not yet affected.
·
Periodontitis -
At this stage, the supporting bone and fibers that hold the teeth in place are
irreversibly damaged. The gums begin to form a pocket below the gum line, which
encourages penetration and growth of plaque below the gum line. Professional
periodontal therapy and improved personal oral hygiene can usually help prevent
further damage to the gum tissue and supporting tissue and bone.
·
Advanced
Periodontitis - In this more advanced stage of gum disease, the fibers
and bone of your teeth are being destroyed, which can cause your teeth to shift
or loosen. This can affect your bite and how you eat and communicate. If
aggressive periodontal therapy can’t save them, teeth may need to be removed by
a dental specialist. Your dentist will provide restorative options if teeth are
removed due to periodontal disease.
Prevention
Proper brushing and flossing
go a long way toward keeping gum disease at bay. Using an antibacterial
toothpaste or mouth rinse can kill bacteria and lessen the amount of plaque in
your mouth. Removing dental plaque is the key to preventing gum disease and
improved mouth health.
Treatment
A professional
cleaning by your dentist or dental hygienist is the only way to
remove plaque that has built up and hardened into tartar. By scheduling regular
checkups — twice a year — early stage gum disease can be treated before it
leads to a much more serious condition.
If gum disease is more
advanced, scaling and root planning can be performed to treat diseased
periodontal pockets and gum infection. A dental hygienist uses an ultrasonic
scaling device to remove plaque, tartar and food debris above and below the gum
line, and hand scales the tooth and root surfaces to make them smooth and
disease free. Laser treatments are also sometimes used to remove tartar deposits.
If periodontal pockets are more than 5 millimeters deep, that is, if you have
moderate to severe periodontitis, gingival flap surgery may be performed by a
periodontist to reduce periodontal pockets, as well as bone grafting to restore
lost bone.
The simple way to help prevent gum disease
Gum disease is caused when
bacteria (plaque) are not removed by daily brushing and flossing, luckily it’s
preventable. Try one of our toothpastes designed to reduce plaque regrowth and
help prevent the occurrence of gum disease.
Rootz Dental Care and Implant Center has specialists with proven expertise in Gum therapy.This offering from Rootz is primarily to benefit patients from OMR, Thoraipakkam, Perungudi, Neelankarai, Palavakkam, Injambakkam etc .For more information regarding treatments contact us today.
