Periodontics
Nearly 65 million people in the United States are suffering from gum disease. That translates to about half of all adults 30 and older, according to the American Academy of Periodontology. The disease typically doesn’t cause pain until it’s in an advanced stage when much of the damage has already been done.
Gum Disease Affects Your Teeth, Smile And General Health
Gum disease is a serious oral problem that threatens your teeth, smile, and even general health. It is caused by millions of bacteria that release toxins into the bloodstream that leads to bone loss around teeth. A progressive problem, gum disease is the primary cause of tooth loss today and has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and a number of other systemic conditions. Choosing a periodontist to treat this common yet serious oral condition provides your health, wellness, and quality of your smile the highest standard of care – and creates the best chance at saving your teeth from destructive gum disease. Our Dearborn Dentist and Brownstown Dentist are both highly qualified gum and bone health experts and have extensive knowledge and skill in diagnosing and treating all stages of gum disease. All Brite Dental offers effective solutions to treat and manage your gum disease to get you back to enjoying a healthy, happy smile.
What causes gum disease?
In short – bacteria. When bacteria remain on the teeth, it can form plaque and tartar. When this substance becomes stuck in between the teeth and gums, it can lead to gum complications.
You can prevent periodontitis by taking simple steps that include brushing your teeth after meals, flossing on a daily basis, and rinsing your mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash once a day.
This will help remove bacteria and sugar from your teeth and gums before they turn into plaque. Eating a healthy diet that is low in sugar can also help to keep your gums healthy.
How is it treated?
We will make a recommendation after examining your teeth and gums to determine what the source of the problem is and what should be done to address it. The treatment plan is dictated by the severity of the periodontitis.
The first step in addressing gum disease is to complete a deep cleaning.
By removing plaque and tartar from the teeth and gums, we can help patients start the healing process. Once the bacteria and plaque have been removed, the gums will start to heal naturally.
With this non-surgical gum disease treatment, we remove plaque, tartar, and bacteria from the root surfaces, below the gum line. The goal of scaling and root planing is to create clean, clear root surfaces to which gums can reattach, reducing the depths of periodontal pockets.
Once diagnosed with periodontal disease, periodontal maintenance therapy will be crucial to prevent your condition from worsening or causing additional complications for your oral and systemic health.
Periodontal maintenance occurs every three to four months and includes thorough below-the-gum cleanings and examinations.
These visits with our practice are vital to managing your gum disease and keeping harmful oral bacteria at bay before they have a chance to cause further damage in your mouth.
As periodontal experts, we are dedicated to helping you maintain and enjoy your newly established periodontal health following gum disease treatment with our team.
FAQs – Periodontics
You may have gum disease if your gums are red, swollen or bleeding. It is natural for this to happen from time to time after eating something that irritates your gums or brushing too aggressively. However, if this happens on a regular basis then you may have some type of gum disease. Another symptom is bad breath, loose teeth, pain while chewing, sensitive teeth or teeth that appear longer. If you live in the Dearborn area, we can examine your gums and let you know what the source of your problem is.
At All Brite Dental, there are several ways that we treat gum disease. We will make a recommendation after examining your teeth and gums to determine what the source of the problem is and what should be done to address it. The treatment plan is often dictated by the severity of the periodontitis. We recommend that patients look for the signs of gum disease and schedule an appointment immediately so that the least invasive procedure can be used to correct the problem. Once the disease has progressed too far, more significant procedures may be necessary to heal the gums. At times, this can involve surgery.
You can prevent periodontitis by taking simple steps that include brushing your teeth after meals, flossing on a daily basis and rinsing your mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash once a day. This will help to remove bacteria and sugar from your teeth and gums before they can turn into plaque. Eating a healthy diet that is low in sugar can also help to keep your gums healthy. At All Brite Dental, we also recommend having your teeth cleaned professionally at least twice a year so that we can remove plaque and tartar from hard to reach places. This will ensure that your gums remain healthy.