Dental patients must follow all oral hygiene practices to avoid periodontal disease. Gum disease can take over the mouth and cause the patient to lose their teeth. Dental professionals can provide information about the disease and treatment options.
What Is Periodontitis?
Dental patients may ask, “what is gum disease?” Peridontitis is permanent yet preventable gum disease. It causes bacteria and infections in the mouth that could destroy the gums and the bone supporting the teeth. As it progresses, pockets form around the gum line, allowing bacteria to grow and cause severe infections and abscesses. If it is not treated, the patient will lose all their teeth.
Dentists can answer the question, “what does gum disease look like?” Essentially, it will look different at each stage. It could start as cavities that were not filled and broken or damaged teeth that were not repaired or extracted. Any instance where bacteria can thrive in the mouth may lead to gum disease.
What Are The Symptoms?
A review of gum disease symptoms shows that it starts with swollen and puffy gums that may bleed. The gums will become purplish as the disease advances. Patients may experience excessive gum bleeding when brushing, bad breath, loose teeth, pain when chewing foods, and receding gums. Any of these signs may indicate periodontitis and requires a trip to the dentist.
What Causes It?
There are many causes of gum disease, and here are the most common reasons:
- A failure to brush the teeth and remove plaque.
- Gingivitis that has formed in the gums must be treated to lower the risk of periodontal disease.
- Smoking and tobacco use increase the risk of periodontal disease and could damage the teeth and gums.
- Hormonal changes such as pregnancy can increase the risks of gum disease.
- Improper nutrition and vitamin deficiencies can lead to gum and tooth problems.
- Medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn’s disease are all causes of gum disease.
How Does the Dentist Treat It?
When reviewing the best gum disease treatment, it depends significantly on the patient and the current stage of the disease. The dentist can perform scaling and planing services to eliminate bacteria and damaged gum tissue. They will remove food particles and debris from inside the gum pockets and assess the condition of the teeth. They can also provide antibiotics for infections and abscesses.
Doctors can also perform surgical procedures to provide a correction. For example, they can remove the gums’ pockets and perform bone or tissue grafts to correct the damage. The dentist can also apply tissue-stimulating proteins to help the gum tissue grow back.
The only permanent solution for late-stage gum disease is to extract all the teeth and repair the gums. Unfortunately, at this stage, the teeth are often rotten and full of cavities.
Are There Complications?
Yes, dental patients who have gum disease are at a greater risk of coronary artery disease. This increased risk is because the frequency of infections in the mouth determines how often infections enter the bloodstream. And, if they are left untreated, the patient is at a greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke because of bacterial growth in the body. Therefore, at the first sign of a tooth infection, the patient must seek help from their dental professional.
Dental patients could develop periodontal disease if they do not follow all oral hygiene practices every day. The disease takes over the gums and teeth, and it could lead to complete tooth loss. At the first signs of gingivitis, the patient needs to get fast treatment to prevent gum disease. Patients can learn more about the condition by setting up an appointment with a dentist now.
