Periodontal [Gum] Disease
Since periodontitis [gum disease] is the main reason for tooth loss in adults, we take every step needed to educate, motivate, and provide care to help to control this condition. At some stage in life, the majority of adults will develop some form of gum disease.
There are several factors leading to the progression of periodontitis. The problem starts with the accumulation of plaque on the teeth. Plaque can cling to the teeth, especially between the teeth and just under the gums, on the root surface. Bacteria in the plaque can grow, causing an infection. Toxins from the bacteria are very irritating to gum tissue and your jaw bone. Toxins can destroy these tissues if they remain for a long time. The environment in your mouth can be more or less resistant to the effects of gum disease. The type and amount of saliva, alignment of your teeth, your overall health and strength of your immune system, and factors with your genetic makeup can influence whether or not plaque will be more or less damaging to your dental health.
Gum disease is slow developing, but persistent in nature. It can become active, then subside. There is usually no pain in the early phases, perhaps just some redness, swelling or bleeding from the gums. As the disease advances, and becomes more established, you may have a bad taste in your mouth, see deposits on your teeth that can’t be removed by brushing, and may develop painful, swollen gums. In the later stages, teeth can become loose, change alignment- gaps develop between teeth, and eventually teeth are lost. It requires continual reevaluation to detect any changes, requiring a refocus on one’s treatment.
At our office we usually take a conservative approach to periodontal care. First we gather information, evaluate radiographs, examine and measure the areas where the gums attach to the teeth, in order to determine the extent of any gum disease present. We thoroughly clean your teeth to remove all foreign deposits. This can be completed in one to four appointments, depending on the severity of your condition. At this point you should have a clean set of teeth. The next phase is to let your gums heal. Your daily oral hygiene care at home is very important to maintain a clean environment in your mouth that will contribute to improved gum health. We can provide the education and a little motivation to help you get healthy.
We evaluate the results of our initial treatment to assess your response within the next three months. By this time we should be able to determine the appropriate interval between cleaning visits, to allow the gums to heal as much as possible. If there are areas in your mouth that are not responding to treatment, we have several options. We may continue to scale and evaluate your gums over a longer time. We may choose medications to assist in controlling gum disease. Referral to a periodontal specialist may be appropriate for some individuals.
It is important to remember that periodontitis is an infectious disease that cannot be cured. Our best efforts will allow for the control of this disease. Patients with periodontal disease require regular care in order to have the greatest chance for achieving success in controlling gum disease.
There is much more information on this topic available on our links page, such as; www.perio.org
