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If you are experiencing symptoms such as bad breath or swollen or bleeding gums, you may be suffering from gum disease. At the office of Great Lakes Dental Group, we offer a comprehensive range of services to help patients protect and maintain periodontal health and keep their smiles in tip-top condition.
Taking care of your smile does more than keep your teeth and gums in optimal condition; good oral health also supports systemic health. In addition to being the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, researchers are finding more and more links between periodontal disease and a number of medical problems including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory problems.
Just like tooth decay, gum disease can be attributed to the presence of harmful bacteria dental plaque and tartar that are left to accumulate around the teeth and under the gums. When left untreated, periodontal disease can lead to gingival pocket formation, gum recession, and diminishing alveolar bone with the eventual loosening and loss of teeth.
If you notice that your gums are bleeding with the slightest pressure while brushing or flossing, it’s a sign of gingivitis. Although gingivitis is the earliest stage of gum disease, it can easily be reversed with deeper cleanings as well as an improved regimen of oral hygiene at home.
In the absence of professional treatment and better home care, gingivitis progresses to the next stage, which is known as periodontitis. In this stage, the connective tissue and bone that hold the teeth in place begin to break down with an increase in pocketing between the teeth and bone, gum recession, and bone loss. Without proper treatment by your dentist, periodontitis will progress from a mild to moderate loss of supporting tissue to the destruction of the bone around the teeth.
Although gingivitis can often be reversed with improved oral hygiene and professional cleanings, as periodontal disease advances, more extensive procedures are required to halt its progression. Based on a complete assessment of your periodontal health and a review of possible contributing factors, our office will recommend the best options in care. Treatment for periodontitis may include a series of deeper cleanings known as root planing and scaling, surgical procedures to reduce pocket depth, bone or tissue grafts, laser procedures, or antimicrobial medications.
By seeing our dentist regularly for care and doing your best to eat a healthy diet and practice good oral hygiene, you can keep your smile in tip-top shape as well as protect your overall wellbeing.
At the office of Great Lakes Dental Group, we provide patients the guidance, support, and care required to maintain optimal periodontal health. For more information on our office and the many services that we provide, give us a call today.
