Healthy Gums for a Great Smile and a Healthy Life!
The health of your gums affects more than your smile – gum health also affects your overall health
Gum disease is a leading cause of tooth loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It also increases the risk for other health issues, such as heart disease and high blood pressure.
Nearly half of everyone aged 30 and older have some form of gum disease, also known as periodontal disease. About 9 percent of adults in the United States has severe gum disease. The risk for gum disease increases with age, affecting more than 70 percent of people aged 65 and older.
Gum disease is progressive, which means it can get worse over time, especially when left untreated.
Billions of bacteria live in the human mouth, and they feed on the sugar you consume. As they digest the sugar, bacteria produce acid that can erode the enamel that protects your teeth; the acid can also irritate your gums.
Bacteria can combine with saliva and food particles to create plaque, which is a clear substance that sticks to teeth and gums. Left in place, plaque can harden into tartar. Both plaque and tartar can further irritate your gums.
Irritation can cause your gums to swell, bleed, and look red – this is the early stage of gum disease, known as gingivitis. You may not notice these signs at first, so you may have gingivitis and not know it. At this stage, you may also have sensitivity to heat and cold, pain or tenderness when you chew food, and bad breath that won’t go away, even after you brush your teeth.
Treating gingivitis is much easier than treating more advanced gum disease, so it’s important to consult with a dentist as soon as you notice these signs and symptoms.
Untreated or undertreated gingivitis can progress to the periodontitis. In this advanced stage of gum disease, irritated and swollen gums pull away from the teeth to create pockets between the affected gums and teeth. Bacteria and their toxins can enter the pockets to cause infections deep in in the jawbone; these infections can erode the tissue and bone that supports the teeth, and eventually lead to the loss of one or more teeth.
If you are experiencing one or more of the signs and symptoms of gum disease, you should visit your dentist in Allen, TX, right away. Early detection and prompt treatment are the best ways to stop gum disease before it leads to tooth loss. Our team of dental professionals will evaluate the health of your gums and recommend one or more treatment plans.
As its name suggests, pocket reduction surgery focuses on shrinking the pocket that has formed between your teeth and gums. Also known as gingivectomy or osseous surgery, pocket reduction surgery is actually a group of procedures that help the dentist gain access to the affected tooth’s roots and remove tartar and disease-causing bacteria.
Pocket reduction can help reduce the spread of bacteria, prevent the loss of bone, make it easier to take care of your teeth, and enhance your smile.
Losing a tooth to gum disease can cause bone loss in the affected area of the jawbone. It can also change the contour of your gums and the bony ridge that holds the roots of your teeth in place, known as the alveolar ridge. In a ridge augmentation, your dentist rebuilds the alveolar ridge to its original height and width.
While not medically necessary, a ridge augmentation may be helpful for aesthetic purposes or to create enough bone structure to hold a dental implant.
Scaling and root planing treats gingivitis before it becomes periodontitis. The pair of procedures provide a deep cleaning that reaches below the gumline where regular brushing and flossing cannot. In scaling, your dentist uses special tools to remove the plaque and tartar above and below the gumline, and deep in pockets. Root planing involves smoothing the surface of the tooth to make it easier for the gum to reattach to it.
If gum disease has caused you to lose the valuable bone, ligaments and connective tissue that held your teeth in, guided bone and tissue regeneration can help you get them back. In these advanced procedures, we enhance the growth of healthy tissue and bone in the alveolar ridge.
Gum disease can cause bone loss on the upper jaw, and this bone loss can make it hard to replace missing teeth with dental implants. This is especially true when it comes to replacing lost teeth on the upper back jaw because of its close proximity to the sinuses, which are air-filled cavities in the skull.
A sinus lift raises the sinus floor and augmentation stimulates the development of bone tissue enough to facilitate the placement of dental implants.
A frenum is a fleshy flap of soft tissue. You have one frenum that connects the bottom of your tongue to your lower gums, and another frenum that connects your upper lip to your upper gums. Sometimes a frenum can pull too hard on gums, which causes the gums to pull away from the teeth. A frenum that is too short or too tight can also cause “tongue-tie” and “lip-tie.”
A frenectomy is a quick procedure (about 15 minutes) in which your dentist removes the frenum.
For more information about gum treatment in Allen, TX, contact our dental office. We have the training, technology and experience you need for optimal gum health.