Many people who have gum disease don’t realize the extent of the problem, or its significance to their oral health, until it reaches its later, more severe stages. This can include severe levels of erosion in your gum tissues, as well as a loss of mass and density in your jawbone structure, the loss of one or more teeth, and much more. Because of this, it’s important to deal with gum disease successfully as soon as possible, and in some cases, before you can address the damage that it’s caused to your oral health.
Ignore it for too long
When gum disease first develops, its earliest stage (known as gingivitis) can be easy to miss or ignore at first. That’s because the early symptoms don’t always seem severe, even if they’re noticeable. However, as gum disease progresses, the extent of damage that it can lead to won’t be easy to ignore for long. It can lead to excessive bleeding when you brush and floss your teeth, noticeable recession of your gums from your teeth, severe discoloration in the gum tissues, chronic bad breath, and more. In severe cases, this same damage can lead to the loss of one or more teeth. In fact, severe gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss for adults.
Cure it for good
When gum disease settles into your gums, the biggest problem your smile faces is keeping it under control. Given the nature of the disease, it may not be something you can cure for good or reverse. Fortunately, you can successfully manage gum disease to reduce the extent of damage that it can cause. If it’s treated early enough with personalized periodontal cleaning, also known as scaling and root planing, then you may be able to prevent it from causing any irreversible harm to your healthy periodontal tissues.
Replace the teeth you lost
When gum disease isn’t treated early, it can have enough time to cause significant enough damage that you lose one or more teeth due to its progression. Restoring your smile will require replacing your lost tooth, or teeth, but not until you’ve successfully dealt with gum disease and brought it under control. Until it’s treated properly, gum disease will continue to wreak havoc with the foundations of your smile, which could compromise any existing dental restoration or replacement teeth.
Learn why gum disease is a problem
The severe damage that gum disease can cause to your oral health and periodontal tissues can make it impossible to ignore for long. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, call Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI, today at 248-693-6213.
