Gum Diseases Easily Preventable but Challenging to Treat

Gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums caused by bacterial infections, silently progresses to a severe infection periodontal disease if left untreated. Gingivitis and periodontal disease are leading causes of tooth loss among adults, states the American Dental Association.

Dental visits for services cost Americans $ 129 billion back in 2017, states the CDC confirming the dental infections put your health and wallet at stake with unwanted expenditure.

The Causes of Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease

In reality, your gums attach to your teeth at a point lower than the gum edges visible to you, forming a tiny space called the sulcus. The area is sufficient for food and plaque to get trapped and cause the gum infection gingivitis.

Plaque is a slimy film of bacteria constantly forming on the surface of your teeth. When left on your teeth beyond 48 hours, plaque hardens to become tartar. You develop infections when the plaque extends below the gum line.

If left untreated, gingivitis causes your gums and teeth to separate. The separation results in injury to the soft tissue and bone supporting the teeth. Your tooth becomes loose and unstable. If you let the condition progress, you lose your tooth eventually or need help from the emergency dentist in Lincoln to extract it.

What Are the Risk Factors for Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease?

Various risk factors contribute to gingivitis and periodontal disease. They are smoking or chewing tobacco, diabetes, crooked teeth, ill-fitting dental appliances, broken fillings, genetic factors, pregnancy, and compromised immunity. Consuming certain medications like anticonvulsants, steroids, oral contraceptives, or undergoing chemotherapy for cancer is also a risk factor for this condition.

The Symptoms of Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease

You never realize you have gum disease until it is too late because you can have the condition without exhibiting any symptoms. Some indicators of this condition include:

• Tender, red, or swollen gums.
• Bleeding gums when brushing and flossing.
• Gums pulling away from your teeth and loose teeth.
• Variances in the way your teeth fit mutually when biting.
• Bad breath that won’t subside even after brushing and flossing.
• Pain when chewing and sensitive teeth.

Diagnosing Gum Disease

When you visit the dentist near you with complaints like the symptoms mentioned earlier, the professional probes your gums with a tiny ruler. The probing is a technique to check for inflammation and measuring the pockets around your teeth. The dentist may also order x-rays to verify whether a bone loss has occurred.

Discuss with your dentist the risk factors for gum disease besides your symptoms. It helps in diagnosing gingivitis. In such cases, the dentist may refer you to the periodontist in Lincoln, NE, specializing in treating gum diseases.

Treatment for Gum Disease

It is essential to practice proper oral hygiene to treat gingivitis. You must also manage diabetes and cut back on smoking if you smoke. The dentist in Lincoln, NE, provides other treatments like deep cleaning your teeth, antibiotic medications, and surgery depending on the severity of your condition.

Teeth Cleaning

Several techniques are available for deep cleaning your teeth without surgery. The methods help to remove plaque and tartar and prevent gum irritation. Scaling helps remove tartar from above and below the gum line. Root planing smoothes rough spots while eliminating plaque and tartar from the root surface. Lasers may also be used to remove tartar with less pain and bleeding than scaling and root planing.

Medications

The Lincoln dentist also provides many medicines to treat gum disease. They may recommend antiseptic mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine to disinfect your mouth or insert chlorhexidine antiseptic chips in the pockets of your gums after root planing. Oral antibiotics help treat persistent areas of gum inflammation.

If you have advanced periodontal disease, you may need flap surgery, a procedure when your gums are lifted during plaque and tartar removal and then stitched back in place to fit snugly around the gums. Bone and tissue grafts are also recommended when your teeth and jaw have suffered extensive damage.

Is Gum Disease Preventable?

Appropriate and excellent dental hygiene helps prevent gum disease. These practices include visits to your dentist frequently, flossing your teeth every day, and brushing them twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. You must also have a balanced diet when trying to achieve and maintain good dental health.

Gum disease is entirely preventable merely by maintaining appropriate dental hygiene and visiting your dentist for exams and checkups to ensure plaque does not build up on your teeth and hardens into tartar. Avoid the dental visits, and you find yourself in trouble needing more frequent visits to the periodontist in Lincoln for expensive treatments.