Periodontal Disease: How do we avoid it?

Periodontal disease is a common mouth disease that can occur in the majority of adults. Fun fact, periodontal disease oddly enough is found in both humans and most small dog breeds. It is broken up into four different levels, beginning with gingivitis or signs of gingivitis, slight periodontal disease, moderate, and advanced. To begin treatment on a patient that has periodontal disease, we’ll first start with a thorough cleaning. This cleaning ends up scaling and removing plaque and tartar deposits that have built up over time beneath your gum lines.

People tend to get periodontal disease because of poor dental hygiene and other bad dental habits over time. What happens is the bacterium in your mouth infects the tissue surrounding your tooth. This causes inflammation around your tooth and gum lines which then leads to periodontal disease. When bacteria stays on your teeth for a long period of time a film called plaque, begins to build up. This film can then turn into these things called tartar deposits which are buildup that is even more difficult for you to scrape off yourself.

Warning signs that you may be suffering from periodontal disease

• Your breath doesn’t smell the greatest, one brush and done won’t  do the trick, and it’s not just that stale morning breath smell
• You have puffy or swollen red gums
• Your gums have started receding
• In certain areas of your mouth it hurts to chew
• Jaw is tender to the touch
• You’re losing teeth easily or your teeth are just loose in general
• You feel like your teeth aren’t meshing together directly when you bite down

Risk factors that can lead to increasing the chance of periodontal disease

• Smoking cigarettes or tobacco
• Diabetes, poor diet
• Poor oral hygiene, not coming to Pleasant St Dental for your routine cleanings and checkups
• Stress
• Genetics
• Having crooked or crowded teeth
• Previous health conditions
• Sealants or fillings that have started to deteriorate because they were poorly performed
• Taking antibiotics or other over the counter medications that could cause dry mouth

How can I treat it?

Gingivitis is the beginning of periodontal disease and can be controlled and treated with good oral hygiene and routine dental cleanings from Pleasant St Dental! More severe forms of periodontal disease can also be treated successfully but may require more extensive treatment. We can deep clean beneath the root of your diseased tooth, and also clean the surfaces below the gum line. Some even worse cases may require surgical procedures to get your oral health back on track.