Introduction
Gum disease is one of the most common diseases that affect adults and children. It can cause severe damage to the tissue and bone that support your teeth. If you have gum disease, it’s important to have regular checkups with your dentist so that you can get treated early on and prevent further oral problems.
What is gum disease?
Gum disease is an oral health condition that affects your gums and bone. It can lead to tooth loss, but it’s also detected early with a thorough checkup with your dentist. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends you visit the dentist every six months for an exam and cleaning, which includes examining your gums for signs of gum disease.
What Is Gum Disease?
Gum disease occurs when plaque builds up on your teeth and hardens into tartar (calculus). With this build-up, bacteria gets trapped in the mouth, causing infections in the soft tissue around teeth called periodontal pockets. These pockets can worsen over time if they remain untreated; this causes damage to supporting bone structure underneath gums. As the bone collapses under pressure from surrounding tissue, it exposes roots of your teeth and makes them more likely to become infected by germs or damaged by cavities—which could lead to further problems like tooth decay or abscesses (pus-filled pockets).
Types of gum disease
Gum disease can be classified into four different types:
- Periodontal disease: This is the most common form of gum disease, and it is characterized by pockets between the teeth and gums that become infected. It may also cause the attachment of your teeth to loosen or fall out completely.
- Gingivitis: This form of gum disease causes inflammation in your gums without causing any damage to them. It’s not a major concern yet, but if left untreated it can lead to periodontitis and other serious health issues such as heart disease or diabetes.
- Periodontitis: This type involves inflammation in both your gums and bones around your teeth that are caused by bacteria in plaque buildup on them over time (not just from brushing). If left untreated, it could lead to tooth loss due to bone loss around each tooth!
- Aggressive periodontitis: Typically affects people who already have some kind of chronic health condition like diabetes or cardiovascular disease because these conditions make them more likely to get bacterial infections that spread quickly throughout their body—in this case affecting their gums far quicker than normal too!
Symptoms of gum disease
Gum disease is a serious problem, and if you have it, you may experience some of the following symptoms:
- Red, swollen and bleeding gums
- Loose teeth (which can also be called losing teeth)
- Bad breath that does not go away when brushing or flossing your teeth well.
Causes of gum disease
Gum disease is caused by a variety of factors, including:
- Bacteria. The bacteria found in plaque on your teeth produces acid that can damage the gums around it. Plaque is sticky and difficult to remove without brushing and flossing daily, which is why gum disease has been called “the silent disease” because you may have no symptoms until it’s too late.
- Smoking. Nicotine in cigarette smoke irritates tissues and causes inflammation, making it more difficult for your body to repair any damage done by bacteria or plaque build-up.
- Diabetes Diabetes causes blood sugar levels to rise above normal levels, which causes damage to blood vessels throughout the body—including those in your mouth! This makes it harder for oxygen-rich blood cells to reach damaged areas of tissue like gums (which could lead them into abscesses). It also increases risk for infections from bacterial growths such as periodontal pockets , which are deep pockets between tooth roots where bacteria tend to congregate together with food particles – forming hardened deposits known as calculus .
Risk factors for gum disease
Gum disease can affect anyone, but there are certain factors that put you at higher risk for developing gum disease. Some of these risk factors include:
- Diabetes
- Poor oral hygiene habits, such as not brushing or flossing regularly
- A family history of gum disease or a genetic predisposition to the condition (some people just have more plaque build-up than others)
How to prevent gum disease
There are several ways to prevent gum disease. The most obvious is regular brushing and flossing. It is important to use the proper technique when brushing your teeth, as this can affect the health of your gums. Using a soft-bristled toothbrush without pressing too hard on your teeth will help keep bacteria from building up in hard-to-reach areas.
Brushing properly for two minutes each time will also help remove any food particles that would otherwise act as food for bacteria that cause gum disease. If you have braces or dental work done at night, then flossing is an equally important habit to maintain!
If you smoke tobacco products or drink alcohol heavily, then these habits must be stopped immediately if they cause damage to your gums already (if they do not yet). Quitting smoking saves lives—and it prevents further damage from occurring in addition to restoring oral health!
Diet plays a part in preventing gum disease as well; foods high in sugar should be avoided (especially sugary drinks!) because they feed bacterial growths present on our teeth every day even before we brush them off!
The best treatment for gum disease
The best treatment for gum disease is prevention. Flossing, brushing, rinsing and scaling are all important in preventing gum disease. Scaling and root planing removes plaque from the teeth and below the gum line. Periodontal surgery is sometimes necessary to treat advanced periodontitis (gum disease).
If you’re experiencing any symptoms of periodontal diseases, schedule an appointment with your dentist right away.
If you have a serious case of gum disease, it could take several visits to your dentist to get it under control and begin healing. Your dentist may prescribe medications or recommend that you have surgery to remove infected tissue and bone depending on what is causing the problem.
Gum disease is often caused by poor oral hygiene habits such as not brushing or flossing regularly enough and being unable to afford dental care (if this sounds like you). You can help prevent gingivitis by visiting a dental clinic every six months for checkups and treatments or at least twice a year if possible because regular checkups can help identify problems early before they become too severe which means less time spent in recovery after treatment has been completed!
Conclusion
The above information is intended solely to provide general information about the topic addressed in this article. It does not constitute legal advice, and may not be applied to a particular situation without reference to other issues and circumstances. I hope this was helpful for anyone who needs help with gum disease.
As we discussed above, the best gum disease treatment is the one that stops your pain from gum disease and restores your gum health. It’s also the one that makes you feel comfortable, gives you the most benefits, minimizes anxiety and discomfort, and provides a trackable timetable for results. We hope that we’ve helped you find the treatment that meets your needs.
Many people don’t realize just how common gum disease is or what the real symptoms are. It often occurs in silence before you even start to notice it. After reviewing the information in this blog post, I hope you’ll have a better understanding of this common problem and how treatment can improve your dental health.
