You suspect that you may have gum disease. You have done the responsible thing and made a dentist appointment. The dreaded day has arrived and you wonder what to expect at the visit. Knowing in advance what may happen during this visit may put your mind at ease.
Knowing that you are experiencing symptoms of gum disease, your dentist will want to do a complete periodontal examination and probing to evaluate the health of your gums and teeth. During the exam your dentist will be looking for evidence of gingivitis, periodontitis or bruxism (tooth grinding), and other dental problems.
All her life, a woman will have times when she must take special care of her health. Puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause are the special times of her life. She will have many healthcare needs during these special times, one of them will be protecting her oral health from the changes her body is undergoing.
Puberty
Puberty is when there is an increase in her hormone levels. This increase causes many major changes in her body including an increase in progesterone and possibly estrogen, which will cause an increase in the amount of blood that circulates to her gums. This increased blood supply may cause greater sensitivity whichmay lead to gum irritation from food particles and plaque that become deposited on her teeth and gums while she eats. Her gums may become swollen, become redder and feel tender.
Becoming pregnant is a wonderful state of being that causes a great deal of changes in the body. There is an old wives tale that when it comes to pregnancy there is, "A tooth for every child." While this is not exactly the truth, women will experience changes in their teeth and gums when they become pregnant and as they go through the different trimesters of their pregnancy.
Swollen, tender and bleeding gums are often experienced during pregnancy and may be caused by higher than normal progesterone levels. Pregnant women also have an increased blood supply to the mouth. These symptoms are often called, "pregnancy gingivitis" and it can affect as much as 1/2 of all pregnant women.
It has been known for some time that certain elements pass from the mother to the fetus through the placenta. elements such as alcohol and tobacco can travel from the mom to the baby creating birth defects.
Treatments for Gum Disease will depend on the severity of your infection. Your dental care professional will examine your teeth and gums and access the best way to prevent further damage and to treat the symptoms that you present with. Treatments for gum disease may include non-surgical treatments, periodontal surgery, laser therapy, dental implants and also cosmetic procedures.
There are AAP guidelines that dictate that gum disease should be treated in the least invasive manner possible for the comfort and cost-effective considerations of the patient. Non-surgical procedures are the least invasive for the patient.
Non-Surgical Treatments:
It is important to prevent or correct gum disease not only for cosmetic reasons but because gum disease can have an impact on other health issues.
The bacteria in the mouth that results from the presence of gum disease can enter the bloodstream and travel to other major organs in your body where they can begin new infections in these sites. Research has been conducted that may support the idea that bacteria that starts out in our mouth may indeed contribute to the development of other diseases within the body like: heart disease. It may also increase our risk for stroke, preterm labor. Gum disease can also pose serious threat to someone whose health is already in a precarious position due to diabetes, osteoporosis or respiratory diseases.
Some dentists will prescribe some forms of medication to accompany treatments such as scaling and root planning but there are instances where the disease is too advanced and surgery must be seriously looked at. Antibiotic treatments can be used with a variety of oral therapies as well as surgery and in some cases are used by themselves to decrease the levels of bacteria or to get rid of as much of the harmful bacteria as possible.
The statistics taken on gum disease paint an interesting picture of the people most prone to develop gum disease. Many people wrongly assume that gum disease is a problem that naturally occurs as a person ages. This is not the case. Gum disease and old age do not have to go together. In fact while gum disease is uncommon in teenagers, the milder form of it, known as gingivitis, can easily strike at a young age. Let us examine teenagers and their chances of falling victim to gum disease.
Most individuals are curious about their mouth and how gum disease can affect them. Getting answers should come from your dentist. Knowing what to ask your dentist can help you for your next dental visit.
Here are some general answers to these questions. Use these answers as a springboard for the conversation you will be having with your dentist.
What is my risk for developing gum disease?
Gum diseases (gingivitis and periodontal disease) are serious infections that anyone can contract. These oral infections are especially serious for the elderly, those with suppressed immune systems and those with chronic systemic diseases. Knowledge is power, understanding the symptoms of gum disease can help identify the need to see a dentist so that gum disease can be caught in the early stages before too much damage has been done to the support bone and tissue of the gum. Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection seen in the mouth and affecting the gums, bones and teeth.
Gum disease, also known as Periodontal Disease are serious infections that include gingivitis and periodontitis. If treatment does not occur, tooth loss can happen. This chronic bacterial infection can affect both gums and the bone that supports your teeth. Gum disease can affect one tooth or many.
Gum disease begins when plaque on teeth inflames the surrounding gum tissue. Those who are in the beginning stages of gum disease may experience redden gums, gums that are swollen or bleed easily. Normally there is no discomfort felt in this beginning stage of gum disease. Gingivitis can be reversed with both professional dental care and good oral home care.
It is important to educate yourself about what proper oral hygiene entails in order to prevent gum disease from starting in the first place. Dental professionals believe that gum disease is preventable, except in the cases where a person has a genetic susceptibility to develop it. Gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss in adults and therefore it is something that should not be ignored by anyone.
In May 2000 a Surgeon General's report defined the state of many Americans' bad oral health as a "silent epidemic" and strongly recommended that a national effort or campaign be put into play in order to help improve upon the oral health of a great majority of American adults.
Periodontists use a variety of means to help patients who suffer from chronic gum disease. However these dental specialists do other types of dental procedures as well. For those who need restorative or cosmetic dental work that is directly related to the gums there are things that can be done to ensure a healthy and attractive smile. Two of these procedures are known as crown lengthening and pocket depth reduction procedures. Let us take a closer look at each one of these.
Medical professionals have discovered that there is a link between the disease diabetes and gum disease. People who have diabetes are more susceptible to gum disease and have to be a great deal more careful with their oral health. Gum disease is an infection that starts small in the tissues of the gums and bones and gets worse over time. Gum disease has been connected to diabetes, stroke and also heart disease.
What factors connect diabetes to gum disease?
Among the general population, men are more likely to suffer from the more Advanced form of gum disease- periodontitis- than are women. However among teenagers girls are more likely to develop gingivitis than are boys due to the surge of the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone that increase when a girl enters puberty.
Any dentist will tell you that the goal of dentistry is to educate the patient so that everyone can have a healthy mouth. Good dental hygiene is essential for preventing advanced gum disease (periodontal disease). Periodontal disease is also referred to as pyorrhea. Periodontal disease is where there is infection that began in the gingival tissue (your gum line) and then due to nontreatment it spread to under the gums and then into the surrounding bone structure that surrounds the tooth.
Gum disease is a progressive disease that does not have to take place if you do not let it. Excellent, above average oral hygiene is extremely important to ensure that the millions of bacteria that are living in the mouth are kept in check on a consistent basis. Faltering in how you take care of your teeth is never a good thing.
Most Americans have some degree of gum disease. In the beginning stages of gum disease, you may notice that you gums bleed when you brush you teeth or floss. The gums may also look swollen or feel tender. The end stage of gum disease is that you will lose your teeth! I believe that most of us would much rather keep our teeth in our mouths where they belong. In order to prevent gum disease from reaching that end stage or to prevent gum disease altogether, you need to do two things:
Periodontal disease is caused by poor dental hygiene and untreated gingivitis. Periodontal gum disease involves oral bone damage, gum tissue damage and tooth loss. Deep pockets can be formed in between the teeth and gums during periodontal disease that can destroy the structures of the mouth that hold your teeth in place.
There are often other factors involved in periodontal disease such as poor diet, stress, smoking, viral infections, advanced age, and possibly genetic factors as well.
Kids of parents with periodontal disease are 12 times more likely to develop periodontal disease too. Individual of African-American and Mexican-American decent are at a slightly higher risk for periodontal disease than Caucasians are.
Scaling and root planing are intensive deep cleaning procedures that work well for those who have periodontal disease but there are instances where the disease has been left to its own devices and have advanced too far for this procedure to do much good. Medications and antibiotics can kill germs and help to suppress the progression of gum recession and bone loss. There are a variety of medications used including a prescription antimicrobial mouth rinse, an antiseptic chip, an antibiotic gel, antibiotic microspheres and an enzyme suppressant.
