WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GUM DISEASE

Gum Disease Risks

Gum disease is an infection that can cause tooth loss; it is associated with several serious health conditions including heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. After having an examination of your gums and bone you should ask your periodontist or dentist if you have gum disease. While genetics plays a role in gum disease you can still have gum disease even though your parents and siblings were never affected by it.

Gum Disease Symptoms

The presence of any of these symptoms warrants a complete examination for gum disease by a periodontist or dentist.

• Bleeding while brushing, flossing, or eating.

• Gum recession, which results in teeth looking longer.

• Loose teeth and shifting tooth positions where teeth no longer touch.

• Tooth loss, a consequence of gum disease.

Because gum disease can begin and progress without obvious symptoms, an examination of your gums and jaw bones is the only accurate way to determine if you have gum disease. This includes measuring the depth of the gum pockets and using x-rays to determine the bone level.

Health Conditions and Gum Disease

Gum disease is associated with many health conditions. For example heart attacks and strokes are more common when gum disease exists. Gum disease complicates blood sugar management for the diabetic and high blood sugar worsens gum disease.

As a woman, the hormonal changes during pregnancy impact your gums. Some research has suggested having gum disease can increase the risk that your infant will be born premature and or/ be low weight. You should ask your periodontist or dentist regarding oral health complications during pregnancy.

What You Can Do about Gum Disease?

• Early detection and treatment of gum disease by a periodontist can help you preserve your teeth and smile for life. A periodontist is a dentist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of gum disease.

• Smoking is a risk factor for gum disease, oral cancer and many other diseases. It also adversely affects healing and increases the likelihood of an infection following any type of surgery. Your periodontist or dentist and other health professionals can help you quit.

• Brushing and flossing every day is a very important behavior to prevent decay and gum disease.

Information as per the AAP

Dr. Elizabeth Dimovski - Brampton Dentist

Call to book your appointment today 905-458-6620

DO YOU HAVE GUM DISEASE?

Periodontal Disease also known as gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, because it occurs at an age when cavities are usually a thing of the past and the initial symptoms often go unnoticed.

Here is what to watch for: gums that bleed when brushing; red, swollen or tender gums; or persistent bad breath.

Periodontal or gum disease is a bacterial infection of the gums, ligaments and bone that support the teeth and anchor them in the jaw. The bacteria which act mainly on certain carbohydrates, in our diets, are normal inhabitants of the mouth, living in a thin film called plaque. If plaque is not removed, it may eventually harden into tartar, a hard mineral shell that irritates and erodes healthy gum tissue. The early stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. If left untreated, pockets begin to form between the teeth and gum tissue and may erode the tissue which attaches the tooth to the jaw. This stage is called periodontitis.

Gum disease can be treated at all stages, but most importantly, it can be prevented. Here's how: Brush twice daily, floss daily, eat a balanced diet and visit your dentist regularly for a preventive check up and professional cleaning which is essential in the prevention of gum disease.

Information as per the Ontario Dental Association.

For more information on this and other topics call one of our dental professionals.

Dr. Elizabeth Dimovski and Associates

Dentists Brampton