Can I Save My Teeth If I Have Periodontal Disease?
If you have infections of the tissues surrounding your teeth and gums, it is a primary cause of tooth loss among adults globally. Unfortunately, gum disease doesn’t cause discomfort when affected by the condition keeping you unaware of it until it is too late.
The alternate name for gum disease is periodontal disease resulting from plaque buildup on the teeth and developing constantly. Early notification signs of gum disease such as bleeding when brushing, receding gums, persistent lousy taste and breath might become evident besides loosening of the permanent natural teeth and variations in your bite besides other problems.
Gum disease risks are enhanced by improper dental hygiene, genetics, pregnancy, diabetes, medications, challenges cleaning your crooked teeth and chewing or smoking tobacco. When you observe any symptoms in the mouth, you mustn’t delay a visit to the Middleburg dentist because receiving treatment for gum disease early significantly increases the chances of successful outcomes.
Why Is It Essential to Seek Early Gum Disease Treatment?
Seeking gum disease treatment early is essential because the problem is reversible when detected in its earliest stages. All you need is a professional cleaning from an experienced dentist and follow proper home care to eliminate the issue from your mouth.
If you allow early gum disease to progress into chronic periodontitis, the delay in receiving treatment triggers bone and tissue loss to increase the severity of the problem. In addition, if your situation has progressed to chronic periodontitis, your tooth starts moving in the mouth, making tooth loss eventual. However, if you receive periodontal treatment early, you can preserve your natural teeth and prevent the need to search for replacements.
When Is It Too Late to Preserve Teeth?
If you have aggressive periodontitis, you become a victim of bone destruction, rapid gum recession and familiar aggregation. In addition, periodontitis is associated with systemic diseases like diabetes from an early age. With aggressive periodontitis, it might be too late to save your teeth, and you become a victim of tooth loss, searching for replacements to enhance your aesthetic appearance.
What Happens If a Tooth Can Be Saved?
When you are affected by cavities or gum disease, dentists make every effort to save your natural teeth by recommending treatments like fillings, root canals, and gum grafting, besides scaling and root planing. Unfortunately, if dentists cannot preserve your natural tooth, they recommend having it extracted to benefit your dental and overall health.
Gum disease, in particular, is associated with systemic diseases, and researchers look forward to establishing the exact reasons for the association. The bacteria from periodontal disease spread through your bloodstream to cause many health complications like diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disorders.
Different Stages of Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease has different stages. They are:
- Gingivitis: the earliest stage of periodontal disease is gingivitis. Gingivitis causes you to experience swollen, bleeding, and reddish gums. You might not experience specific discomfort from gingivitis unless you visit your dentist frequently for exams and cleanings. Experienced dentists recognize the signs of gingivitis and can help you reverse the condition with proper advice on homecare techniques.
- Chronic Periodontitis: If you allow gingivitis to progress to chronic periodontitis, expect to have inflamed tissues around your teeth besides a progressive bone loss. Gum recession and pocket formation are typical characteristics of chronic periodontitis. This variety frequently occurs in adults, although age is not a limiting factor in developing this condition.
- Aggressive Periodontitis: Clinically healthy people developing aggressive periodontitis shouldn’t sound surprising. The common characteristics of aggressive periodontitis are bone destruction, receding gums rapidly, and familial aggregation.
Treatment for Periodontal Disease
Nonsurgical periodontal therapy to inhibit bacterial growth is initially offered by periodontists who try to limit the damage from this condition. The treatment options include scaling and root planing, allowing the specialist to eliminate plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth and below the gum line.
Brushing and flossing also help eliminate plaque and tartar from your teeth besides removing plaque between the teeth. Using interdental toothbrushes recommended by your dentist as part of your treatment for periodontal disease helps your effort.
Concentrating on homecare by itself will not help you overcome periodontal disease. You must visit your dentist more frequently than twice a year to receive professional cleanings to ensure you don’t allow periodontal disease to progress into aggressive periodontitis. The only way to save your teeth from periodontal disease is to have it detected early and treated before it becomes a chronic condition that destroys bone and supporting tissues in the mouth.
Susquehanna Valley Dental Group provides treatment and helps prevent periodontal disease if you visit them regularly for dental prophylaxis. If it has been some time since your last cleaning, kindly schedule an appointment with the practice to confirm you are not affected by gum disease.