Advanced gum disease, called periodontitis, affects practically half of Americans over the age of 30, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As typical as the condition is, missing teeth is often the unfortunate outcome when left without treatment. But today, with many effective treatment options offered for advanced gum disease, losing teeth does not have to be your next step with an unhealthy gumline.
Symptoms of Advanced Periodontal Disease
Gum disease is a sneaky, progressive disease, and here’s why: The first stage, called gingivitis, happens when bacterial plaque is not completely gotten rid of from your teeth. Red, swollen and bleeding gums are the indicators of this infection, but the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) guarantees that this condition is quickly reversible with daily brushing and flossing– and an expert cleansing at the dental expert’s workplace.
When left untreated, nevertheless, gingivitis can advance into a more major condition called periodontitis. Toxic substances from this accumulation of bacterial plaque not just affect your gum tissue, but also the bone and ligaments that support your teeth. As the infection causes disease to the bone and supporting tissues, your teeth may eventually become loose and have to be treated surgically or gotten rid of. But even advanced cases of periodontal disease don’t need to progress to this point.
How is Advanced Periodontal Disease Treated
Nonsurgical Treatment
Your first step in dealing with periodontitis is a conservative, nonsurgical treatment called scaling and root planing (SRP). A dental professional or dental hygienist offers this treatment by scraping and eliminating the plaque and tartar off of your teeth and root surface areas by scaling, and then smoothing away any roughness on the roots to prevent bacteria from gathering once again. According to Nevada-based dental professional, Dr. Maria Perrone, SRP may take more than one see and an anesthetic can be used to prevent any discomfort. After this process, the gums will recover and reattach themselves to the healthy, tidy surfaces of the teeth. Within a couple of weeks, your dental expert will examine your healing and choose if further treatment is needed.
If you require extra treatment, the American Academy of Periodontology explains numerous periodontal surgeries that can help stop the development of your gum disease:
Pocket Reduction Procedure
After scaling and root planing, if the gum tissue is not fitting snugly around the tooth and you can’t keep the deep pocket area tidy, you may be a candidate for periodontal pocket reduction or flap surgery. By folding back the gum tissue, your dentist or periodontist can eliminate contagious bacteria and smooth areas of damaged bone, permitting the gum tissue to reattach to healthy bone.
Gum Grafts
Exposed roots due to gum recession can be covered with gum grafts, where gum tissue is drawn from your palate or from another source and used to cover the roots of one or more teeth. Covering exposed roots helps in reducing level of sensitivity and protects your roots from decay, while stopping further gum economic downturn and bone loss.
Regenerative Procedures
Bone grafting is a surgical procedure that promotes the growth of bone in an area where bone has actually been destroyed by periodontal disease. During this type of treatment, your dentist or periodontist will get rid of bacteria and after that place either natural or synthetic bone in the area of bone loss, in addition to tissue-stimulating proteins to assist your body successfully grow back bone and tissue.
Gum Repair
Anybody who has had treatment for advanced gum disease understands that careful homecare is the crucial to keeping gum disease from raising its unsightly head – again. Due to the fact that individual oral care is a big part of any periodontal treatment strategy, your dental expert or dental hygienist will spend lots of time with you making sure you understand and carry out appropriate brushing and flossing strategies at home.
In addition to not cigarette smoking, which hinders the healing process, your dental expert will likewise recommend keeping a close eye on your periodontal health with more regular examinations and cleaning up visits. When dealing with gum disease, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of remedy.”
Can Advanced Periodontal Disease Be Reversed
Good oral hygiene practices are necessary to reversing gum disease and preventing it from returning. Thoroughly brushing your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristle toothbrush and flossing at least as soon as a day are your primary tools for keeping bacterial plaque off of your teeth and from aggravating the gums. If your toothbrush is old and frayed, get a new one. Once the bristles begin to use, they don’t clean as effectively – specifically around the gumline, where bacteria have the tendency to build up.
Saliva helps wash away bacteria from both your teeth and gums. So, be sure to keep your mouth damp by consuming lots of water and using sugarless lozenges and gum to assist promote saliva – especially if you have dry mouth. A mouthwashes can also help restrict the quantity of bacteria that remains in your mouth.
Research reveals that by eating nutrient rich foods, you can increase your immune system and slow down the progression of gum disease. The Academy of General Dentistry suggests a healthy diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, meats and fish, whole grain items and dairy.
If you are a smoker and are revealing signs of gingivitis, this may be the time to quit. Smokers are more prone to gum infections, and smoking cigarettes makes it harder for their gums to recover.
How Your Dental Professional Can Reverse It
Regular dental checkups are always essential to the health of your gums. Your dental practitioner checks not only for decay during a check out, however also for early signs of gum disease that you may not have actually observed yet.
Professional cleansings performed by your dental practitioner or dental hygienist will remove the buildup of tartar that you cannot remove with a toothbrush on your own. By keeping plaque and tartar off of your teeth, you efficiently avoid bacteria from preserving a concealing place enough time to develop gum disease.