The more you know about gum disease, the better position you will be in to defeat it and prevent it from causing you problems. Quest Dental is your partner in the fight against gum disease and our
East Baltimore general dentist has the strategies to keep your mouth healthy and your gums strong.
East Baltimore Dental office
The causes of gum disease are generally the combination of inattentive dental habits along with the effects of plaque and tartar on your teeth and gums. Food particles left between your teeth can get lodged between your teeth and gums. Plaque forms and its more stubborn relative, tartar, can follow. Feeding on the bacteria that result from the food particles, this plaque and tartar begins to cause problems in your gums. Symptoms of gum disease include consistently bad breath or having a bad taste in your mouth, gums that are red or tender or swollen, bleeding gums while brushing your teeth, loose or shifting teeth, and receding gums. If you notice any of these signs then you should call us and schedule an appointment with our
East Baltimore general dentist. But gum disease is sneaky and may be progressing without any obvious symptoms either. Regular checkups are vital to maintaining your gum health.
The first stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. At this point, your gums are inflamed but the problem can often be corrected with a simple periodontal cleaning or two. When gingivitis is not addressed, though, it can progress to periodontitis. This is typically marked by infections and the need for treatment becomes essential. Loss of gum tissue, bone, and teeth is a distinct possibility if action is not taken. Typically, more advanced treatments are necessary at this stage. Scaling and root planing, which is a deeper and more invasive cleaning where our
East Baltimore general dentist uses hand scraping and ultrasonic tools to get down to the roots and clean out the offending debris, plaque, and tartar. Sometimes, gum disease becomes severe enough to require surgery.
In order to prevent gum disease, it is recommended that you brush and floss your teeth daily (preferably twice) and eat a healthy diet. Also, a twice yearly visit to our
East Baltimore general dentist for an exam, x-rays, and cleaning will go a long way toward keeping gum disease from forming or catching it early when the treatment is simplest and least difficult on you.
By Quest Dental
December 13, 2013