Knowing that gum disease is often incurable once it reaches a certain point can have different impacts. For example, it could motivate you to take your periodontal health more serious and do more to prevent gum disease from developing. Or, if you already have gum disease, then it may seem like your fight against it has failed, and there’s nothing else you can do about it. Fortunately, this isn’t true. Even if it becomes serious enough to be permanent, you have a good chance of stopping gum disease’s further development with proper cleaning and maintenance.
How gum disease develops and progresses
The key to preventing or treating gum disease is to control the buildup of oral bacteria along your gum line. Initially, gum disease develops when these oral bacteria get the chance to work their way underneath your gums and form plaque on your teeth roots. This leads to an infection in your gums, often known as gingivitis, that causes inflammation and gum tissues recession, along with increasing damage to your gum tissues. If prevention fails, then preserving your oral health will depend on removing the bacteria from underneath your gums so the tissues can heal and reattach to your teeth roots.
Stopping it from developing in the first place
With a consistently good hygiene routine and preventive care with your dentist, you have a good chance of stopping gum disease from ever developing by preventing bacteria from migrating underneath your gums. However, the earliest stages of gingivitis can also provide a window to prevent it from developing enough to become incurable. If performed early enough, periodontal cleaning (or scaling and root planing) can remove the bacteria causing your gum infection before the gum tissues become irreversibly affected.
Keeping gum disease under control
Whether you miss the early signs of gum disease, or mistake them as nothing to be concerned about, it doesn’t take long for gingivitis to progress into more serious gum disease. If it does, however, you can still preserve your healthy smile and periodontal tissues by undergoing periodontal cleaning as soon as possible. You may also need to develop and stick to a more direct plan of routine periodontal maintenance to ensure that the disease doesn’t have the chance to progress any further in the future.
Learn how to stop gum disease from progressing
If you develop gum disease, then it’s important to take steps to stop its development and protect your smile from its potential consequences (including tooth loss). To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, call Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI, today at 248-693-6213.
