Did you know that unless managed with treatment, periodontal disease could lead to discomfort and even the chance of tooth loss? Which is why our team offers periodontal services to help improve your gum health and ensure proper smile stability. In today’s blog, your Lake Orion, MI, dentist talks about the benefits of periodontal services.
The Causes of Gum Disease
What causes gum disease to form in a person’s smile? The trouble starts when the gum tissues become inflamed. Eventually this inflammation, also known as gingivitis, could cause tissues to begin pulling away from the teeth to cause pockets to form at the gum line. As disease-causing bacteria enter these pockets, this causes the onset of gum disease. At this stage there is no cure, but we can manage the issue to protect your smile from uncomfortable symptoms and the risk of tooth loss. Common factors behind inflammation could include the presence of plaque and tartar due to a diet high in sugar and poor brushing and flossing habits. Lack of professional cleanings to remove buildup is also a factor, as is tobacco use. A family history of the disease is a common cause, as is inflammatory illness or the use of certain medications. As part of your treatment, we will examine the smile to assess the cause and severity of your periodontal disease.
The Common Symptoms
What symptoms should you be aware of? We want you to let us know if you experience issues like soreness in the gums or redness. If there is bleeding when you brush and floss, this is a cause for concern. Other symptoms could include selling or even recession. With gum recession, your teeth appear longer than usual. You should let us know when you begin to experience symptoms like these. Otherwise, the disease could grow in severity and eventually reach the periodontitis stage, which is linked to adult tooth loss. We want to help keep your smile whole and healthy!
The Link to Tooth Loss
How does untreated periodontal disease lead to tooth loss? When you reach the periodontitis stage, this could lead to the tissues connecting the teeth and gums being severed. The patient then develops loose or missing teeth. In fact, this is the number one cause of adult tooth loss! Managing your gum health could be the key to keeping your smile whole. But if you do lose teeth to the disease, once we manage it we can talk about replacement options to restore your smile to full function and beauty once again.
Periodontal Cleanings
One way to help manage the disease is with a periodontal cleaning, also known as a scaling and root planing. With this procedure, we can bring the disease into a stage in which we can manage it moving forward with preventive care, so you avoid worsening inflammation and enjoy a full smile. We use the same tools as a traditional cleaning, the ultrasonic scaling device and a manual pick. But instead of just cleaning the surfaces of the teeth, we also clean the exposed roots and beneath the gum line. This enables us to remove harmful plaque and tartar buildup, and also destroy pockets of harmful oral bacteria.
The procedure can take one to four visits, depending on the extensiveness of your buildup. Since this is more involved than a traditional cleaning, our team will use a local numbing agent to keep you comfortable. Once we remove the buildup, our team will polish the teeth to brighten smiles and also make it less likely for major plaque and tartar buildup to occur before your next visit. We may recommend a traditional cleaning every three to four months to control buildup and inflammation.
Better Homecare Habits
You can also help protect your smile with better homecare habits. For example, be sure you brush twice a day for two minutes and floss every evening to remove stray food and drink particles and reduce the severity of plaque buildup. You can also help by cutting back on the sugar in your diet and avoiding tobacco products. If you have any questions about our periodontal services, or if you would like to schedule a visit, then contact our team today to learn more.
Talk to Your Lake Orion, MI Dentist’s Office About Periodontal Services
We want to help you enjoy better periodontal health, so you avoid discomfort and the risk of tooth loss. To schedule an appointment to improve your smile’s health and stability, then call Lake Orion Family Dentistry at (248)693-6213!
