Gum Disease: What You Need to Know
Periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, affecting three out of four people at some point in life. But it can be treated successfully if detected in time. This booklet serves as your guide to the causes, treatment and prevention of periodontal disease. Treating and preventing gum disease brings great health benefits. By retaining your natural teeth, you can chew more comfortably and enjoy better digestion. You can have a healthy smile, a natural asset to your appearance. You can save money and avoid discomfort by preventing future dental problems. For looking good and feeling good, nothing works better than your natural teeth.
What is periodontal disease?
It's a disease affecting the gums and supporting structures of your teeth. In gingivitis, the early stage of periodontal disease, gum tissue may become red, swollen and bleed easily. There is little discomfort at this stage, but there is still danger. If not treated, the disease can eventually cause irreversible damage to the gums and bone surrounding the teeth. It can eventually progress to periodontitis.
Periodontitis is a more advanced stage of periodontal disease. Bone and tissues supporting the teeth are destroyed. Pockets form around the teeth, filling with infection. As the disease progresses, teeth become loose and may eventually fall out or require extraction.
What are the signs of gum disease?
There are many signs of gum disease. You should contact your dentist if you notice any of the following symptoms:
- bleeding gums during tooth brushing
- red, swollen or tender gums
- gums that have pulled away from the teeth
- persistent bad breath
- pus between the teeth and gums
- loose or separating teeth
- a change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
- a change in the fit of partial dentures
What causes gum disease?
The main cause of gum disease is bacterial plaque, a sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth. Daily cleanings to remove the plaque are essential to a healthy mouth.
What other factors might contribute to gum disease?
Although plaque Is the primary cause of periodontal disease, other factors can affect the health of your gums. Life-style decisions such as diet and smoking definitely influence your oral health. A diet low in nutrients can diminish your body's efforts to fight infection. Stress can also affect your ability to ward off disease. Those who smoke or use tobacco often have more irritation to gum tissues than those who do not.
Health conditions are another important influence. Diseases that interfere with the body's protective immune system, such as leukemia and AIDS in their later stages, may worsen the condition of the gums. In uncontrolled diabetes, where the body is more prone to infection, gum disease is usually more severe or harder to control.
Hormone changes during pregnancy increase the blood supply to certain tissues in the body, including the gums. As a result, 30 to 60 percent of pregnant women experience red, tender or bleeding gums. Pre-existing gum disease, even in early stages, can make these symptoms more severe.
Naturally, the healthier you are, the easier it is for your body to recover from any disease, including those affecting the mouth.
Be sure to keep your dentist informed about any changes in your health history. Also discuss any medications you are taking. Some drugs, such as oral contraceptives, antidepressants and certain heart medications, can affect your oral health.
How is gum disease diagnosed?
The dentist or dental hygienist will inspect the color and firmness of the gums and test the teeth for looseness. He or she will also check the way your teeth fit together when you bite. During your periodontal examination, a small measuring instrument is gently inserted between the tooth and gum to measure the depth of the pockets.
A periodontal exam should be a part of every complete dental examination for adults. X-rays may be taken to evaluate the bone supporting the teeth.
How can gum disease be prevented?
You play the major role in preventing periodontal disease. To keep your teeth for a lifetime, you must remove plaque from your teeth by conscientious brushing and flossing every day. Regular dental visits are equally important. Daily cleaning will keep the formation of calculus to a minimum, but it won't completely prevent it. A professional cleaning by a dentist or hygienist will remove hardened calculus in places that your toothbrush, floss and other cleaning aids have missed. Calculus removal is called scaling. Many dentists use an ultrasonic machine that vibrates the calculus off the teeth and then use hand-held instruments for the final smoothing.
Your dentist can design a personalized program of oral home care to meet your specific needs. This program will include proper tooth brushing to thoroughly remove the plaque without harming the teeth or gums. You will also learn to master the technique of flossing, an effective way to clean plaque from hard-to-reach surfaces between the teeth.
A dental visit can also help you select dental care products. There is a wide array of toothbrushes, toothpastes, mouth rinses and flosses on the market. Oral irrigators, rubber tips and interdental cleaners further widen the choices. Your dentist can help you select those products right for you.
What is the treatment for gum disease?
In the early stages of gum disease, treatment usually involves scaling and root planing. This means removing plaque and calculus in the pockets around the tooth and smoothing the root surfaces. It rids the mouth of bacteria and irritants that cause inflammation. Usually the treatment allows the gum to adapt itself back to the tooth or shrink enough to eliminate the pocket. In most cases of early gum disease, scaling, root planing and proper daily cleaning are all that are required for a satisfactory result.
More advanced cases may require surgical treatment. The goals of this treatment are to remove calculus from deep pockets around the teeth, shrink the pockets, smooth root surfaces and arrange gum tissue into a shape that will be easier to keep clean.
In advanced cases involving loose teeth, the dentist may need to treat the way your teeth fit together when you bite. For example, teeth may be braced with temporary splints to reduce movement and increase comfort and function. Other possible treatments include a bite adjustment, orthodontic treatment or the placement of a plastic bite appliance.
Other methods may be necessary in the treatment of periodontal disease, depending upon the conditions of your mouth. Some may be quite complicated, especially in cases of severe oral neglect. The periodontist is trained to deal with many varieties of gum disease. Whatever your treatment plan entails, the periodontist's goal is to reestablish good oral health, and then help you maintain it.
Periodontal patients are seen periodically after treatment. Examining your mouth, removing new calculus, polishing the teeth and checking your bite will help prevent further periodontal problems. Again, nothing will help you maintain the results of professional treatment better than daily removal of plaque by brushing, flossing and other cleaning methods.
Ref: American Academy of Periodontology, Chicago, Illinois.