Taking care of your smile involves more work than simply making sure your teeth are pearly and even. Your gums are an integral factor in your oral wellness, including your overall health. Since most people may assume their gums are in good condition, they are often startled when they are told otherwise. Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, is a harmful disorder that affects the gums around a patient’s teeth, and its signs often occur without pain. Numerous tests have discovered an association between periodontal disease and different health issues, like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, strokes, and forms of cancer, as well as tooth loss.
Despite this, there is excellent news: Gum disease can be prevented with proper dental care. The simplest method to avoid periodontal disease is to get dental care from credentialed dental professionals, like the team at DentalWorks – Cary Crossroads. Our doctors have extensive knowledge and expertise in the area of periodontal dentistry to diagnose a number of issues and treat gum disease.
THE MAIN POINTS YOU MUST KNOW WHEN IT COMES TO GUM DISEASE
Also referred to as gum disease, gum disease is an infection of the gum tissue. The gumline is the oral tissue that serves to hold your teeth in their appropriate positions. Poor dental health will often cause a fuzzy-feeling bacteria known as plaque to collect and calcify along the gum tissue. Although brushing and flossing can remove a portion of the buildup, plaque that’s not eliminated will become tartar and settle onto your enamel. Only a professional cleaning provided by a dentist or dental hygienist can totally eliminate tartar.
While collecting on the enamel, tartar and bacteria work in tandem to cause the first type of gum disease called gingivitis. Gingivitis comes about when plaque collects on teeth and causes the nearby gumline to become red and puffy. Plaque produces toxins that aggravate the gums, which makes them red and puffy and, generally, resulting in bleeding.
As periodontal disease advances with no care, more serious phases of periodontal disease may lead to sore and bleeding gum tissue, issues with chewing, and, potentially, missing teeth. That’s why it’s important to diagnose and manage gum disease before the damage travels all through your oral structures.
PERIODONTAL DISEASE SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR
The ideal gums should be secure, pink, and fit snugly around your teeth. The first indicators of gum disease are usually difficult to recognize by the average individual. It is important to set up regular visits with the dental professionals at DentalWorks – Cary Crossroads. We can detect the early effects of periodontal disease during regular cleanings and dental assessments. Signs of inflamed gums include puffiness, discoloration, tenderness, bleeding, splitting away from the tooth, extra spaces between your teeth, halitosis, loose teeth, problems chewing, and differences with your alignment.
INDIVIDUALS WITH PERIODONTAL DISEASE HAVE ACCESS TO MANY SURGICAL CARE SOLUTIONS
When patients get to the more intense phases of periodontal disease, they might need surgical procedures. The dental practitioners in Cary, NC offer numerous surgical gum therapies, in particular gum grafts, gingival flap surgery, and others.
Gum disease frequently leads the gumline to regress, which will expose a section of the roots of the teeth. To revive the gums, our dentists may perform a gum grafting surgery. Most often, autografted connective tissue is used for this operation. The grafted tissue will be removed from the upper part of your mouth and reattached to your gums, which reduces the root exposure.
Periodontal surgery may benefit patients in Cary, NC who have severe periodontitis. Depending on the phase of your condition, there is a selection of techniques we will likely incorporate: gingival flap surgery, gingivectomy, or gingivoplasty. Gingival flap surgery repositions the gum tissue away from the enamel to gain access to the tooth roots and allow our dental practitioner to gauge your situation. Once this is done, our dentist will perform a scaling and root planing treatment to eradicate tartar and some infected tissue. The separated gum tissue is then reshaped and stitched in the proper location. In contrast, a gingivectomy removes and reshapes a portion of the diseased tissue. This option is mostly saved for people whose gum disease is far along. Finally, a gingivoplasty is, at times, a cosmetic dental operation that improves and readjusts your gum tissue when your gum disease has been taken care of, restoring their proper function and appearing more attractive.
UNCOVER HOW YOU CAN EVADE GUM DISEASE WHEN YOU FOLLOW THESE FIVE PRACTICES
The best method to prevent gum disease is to practice an excellent at-home oral health regimen. Obeying this general set of rules can help guarantee that your bright smile lasts many years:
Flossing your pearly whites is needed for your best oral care.
Flossing a minimum of one time daily or nightly could help remove tartar that may be packed between your teeth. Cleaning your teeth is an important part of everyone’s oral health routine, but it still might not polish every area.
Local residents need to brush their teeth no less than two times every day.
Men and women who brush their teeth after breakfast, lunch, and dinner help to eradicate plaque and buildup stuck in between their gum tissue and teeth. It’s equally vital to not disregard your tongue. Use your smooth-bristled toothbrush to clean your tongue, as this can reduce excess bacteria.
Use toothpaste and mouth rinses that have fluoride.
It’s often hard to figure out which dental hygiene products are the most beneficial. When browsing, look for a fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse. When used together, the two products may affect the time it takes for germs and plaque to gather on the enamel.
Be sure you see your dental practitioner twice each year.
Schedule appointments with your dental care provider twice a year for an oral health assessment and professional cleaning. Oral examinations allow the team at DentalWorks – Cary Crossroads to detect problems like periodontal disease when they initially occur. To help patients with dental anxieties, our Cary, NC facility offers many sedation options to settle your nerves. This way, you can get your exams and professional cleanings without difficulty.
Forego tobacco use.
Those who use tobacco products (like chewing, smoking, or vaping) are at a higher risk to develop periodontal disease and oral cancer. Tobacco consumption negatively impacts the immune system, which makes it tougher on your body to fight off harmful germs and jump back afterward.
GUARD YOUR GUMLINE FROM POTENTIAL DANGER AND RECESSION
Efficient oral intervention is vital in the battle against gum disease. Seek out a dentist you trust, and make sure to pay a visit to their facility twice a year for follow-ups and professional cleanings. At DentalWorks – Cary Crossroads, our staff is capable of preventing, diagnosing, and improving gum disease, as well as various other periodontal wellness concerns. Get in touch with our facility today to set up a session and take off on your journey toward your best oral health.
