Without attention and treatment gum disease can create a false sense of worth where you actually begin to question your own value and desirability. Unchecked, this road can lead to oral health issues, overall health issues, low self-esteem, depression, and a loss of personal pride. But this road doesn’t have to be the road you follow.
Gum disease is an inflammatory disease and response in the body, just like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Absent care and treatment for underlying medical issues, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, etc., your risk factors go up significantly for gum disease because of the relationship between these conditions, and others, to gum disease. For example, if your diabetes is out of control it can be very difficult to control gum disease because of the interconnectivity between them.
Choosing to take positive steps to correct gum disease early will yield tremendous results. With the right treatment regimen, you’ll not only stop the progression of the disease, avoid the potential of losing healthy teeth, avoid gum recession, lower your risk for cardiovascular disease, some forms of cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, pre-term birth weight babies, and improve your overall oral health but, you can reclaim your smile…reclaim your confidence…and reclaim your life.
Symptoms of Gum Disease
- Bad Breath: or chronic halitosis can be caused by a build-up of bacteria in your gums. The bacteria produce an unpleasant odor that’s noticeable when you talk, breathe, and eat. As distasteful as the thought of foul-smelling breath is, a more sinister component of the bacteria is that it destroys your oral health by attacking your jawbone, healthy gums, and teeth. During the progression of gum disease, from the early stage (gingivitis) to the more advanced, severe condition known as (periodontitis), your breath will have an ever-present, objectionable quality. And, try as you might, there’s no way to mask the odor with mouthwash, toothpaste, mints, or gum. The only way to successfully eliminate your bad breath is to reduce or eliminate the corresponding bacteria responsible for the gum disease by utilizing regular gum treatments with your dentist.
- Red & Swollen Gums: can be less noticeable than bad breath, however, they can still draw much-unwanted attention. Along with chronic halitosis, red or swollen gums are often early warning signs of gum disease. And, as is so frequently the case, things like health conditions and losing those ten extra pounds typically don’t go away on their own. Although regularly brushing and flossing your teeth and gums is a sound practice, it’s only with the help of your dentist that you’re going to be able to get rid of gum disease or stop it from progressing.
- Bleeding Gums: while similar to your breath, can be extremely difficult to hide. The issue is exaggerated when the gum disease is present in the front area of your mouth. Left untreated, periodic bleeding will continue to occur and ultimately intensify as your condition worsens. The solution to reduce or stop the bleeding, and restore your gums to health, is to systematically have your gums treated or cleaned by your dentist.
Treatments for Gum Disease
As with other healthcare needs, the right course of treatment needs to be based on your specific condition, your overall health and developed for your best interests. Among other regards, gum disease is not unlike many other health issues – treatment options are determined based on the stage of the disease. While some procedures are designed for early-stage gum deterioration other, more aggressive alternatives may be more appropriate to treat advanced degrees of gum damage. A word of caution, if you wait too late, the gum damage caused by bacteria may be irreversible.
The goals of the planned intervention should be to evaluate the current stage of the disease, halt its progression, repair the damage, reduce or eliminate the related symptoms, and restore your gums to a healthy, esthetically pleasing state. Again, however, the restorative possibilities are limited based on which stage the disease is in when you seek treatment. Nevertheless, with the stated goals in mind, here are some options for treating gum disease that you may want to discuss with your dentist.
- Professional Dental Cleaning
- Scaling and Root Planing
- Antibiotics
- Laser Gum Therapy
- Flap Surgery or Pocket Reduction Surgery
- Soft Tissue Grafts
- Guided Tissue Regeneration
- Bone Grafts
- Bone Surgery
Farragut and Knoxville’s Cosmetic Dentist
As a cosmetic dentist we have the ability to care for our family and restorative patients on a very comprehensive level. Given that cosmetic dentistry provides complete oral health care with an emphasis on preventive and maintenance measures, corrects oral imperfections, and helps to enhance a patient’s overall facial esthetics, we’re extremely detail-oriented and meticulous regarding the caliber of our work and the care we extend to each and every patient.
If there’s anything we can do to help you or your family, whether it’s gum health, cosmetic, family, or restorative in nature, please contact us .
