Periodontal Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
As your community dentist in Brookline, our foremost concern is always the prevention of oral disease like periodontal disease. Prevention is the key to long-term, low-cost dental health.
Periodontal disease can slowly creep up on you and if it isn’t addressed it may lead to major issues. Left unchecked, periodontal disease can be a contributing factor to:
- Tooth loss
- Bone loss
- Sore teeth
- Swollen and sensitive gums
- Bad breath
- Toothaches
While this does not happen to everyone who has periodontal disease, the presence of infection can contribute to these health issues. TheAmericanAcademyof Periodontology, the American Dental Hygiene Associate and the American Dental Association all link periodontal disease bacteria to general good health.
What Is Periodontal Disease?
Like tooth decay, periodontal disease is caused by the bacteria found in plaque. When the bacteria from plaque gets under your gums, your gums and the surrounding soft tissue of the tooth can become inflamed. This inflammation/infection of your gums and/or surrounding tissues that hold your teeth in place is called periodontal disease. Left untreated, it can lead to your teeth shifting, becoming loose and eventually tooth loss.
What Are the Symptoms of Periodontal Disease?
Symptoms of periodontal disease include:
- Bleeding when eating normal foods or brushing. It is a sign that you may have periodontal disease when your gums bleed excessively during a regular dental cleaning or when doing “normal” activities like eating.
- Ongoing bad breath, even after you have just brushed and flossed your teeth.
- Receding gums and/or loose teeth. Loose teeth and “longer-looking” teeth can be an indicator of bone loss due to periodontal disease.
If you experience any of these symptoms, we encourage you to schedule an appointment at our office without delay.
What Causes Periodontal Disease?
Keep in mind the root cause of inflammation is “bad” bacteria under your gums. But how does “bad” bacteria get under your gums? In most cases the answer is, poor oral hygiene or lack of professional dental maintenance.
Treating Periodontal Disease
The best treatment for periodontal disease is prevention. You must fight the “bad” bacteria, plaque and tartar. Bacteria is always present in your mouth. That’s why brushing and flossing is so important.
You can help prevent periodontal disease by:
- Brushing properly at least twice a day
- Flossing properly to remove food particles from in between your teeth
- Having regular dental cleanings and review oral home care with a dental professional
If you already have periodontal disease, there are many treatments available to you depending on the condition of your gums, teeth and bone. Before you have any treatment performed, we’ll do a complete periodontal exam of your mouth right here in ourBrooklinedental office. Common treatments for periodontal disease include:
- Scaling and root planing
In some cases, in order to preserve your teeth and gum tissue, we will do a “deep cleaning” to remove the calculus and bacteria that is causing the infection. You may also be prescribed a prescription antimicrobial mouthwash. - Tissue regeneration
Sometimes when your bone and gum tissue has been destroyed, we can encourage regrowth by using grafting procedures. In this case, we may opt to insert a membrane into the areas that has been damaged in order to assist in the regeneration process. - Pocket elimination
Pocket elimination surgery is a treatment that can be performed to reduce the pocket size between your teeth and gums. - Dental implants
If you have lost teeth because of periodontal disease, dental implants may be an option for you. If you have bone loss, you may have to have a tissue regeneration procedure performed first in order to strengthen your bone.
Brookline Village Dental for Periodontal Disease Treatment & Prevention
We take pride in exceeding your expectations and dedicate ourselves to providing you with a pleasant, comfortable experience. We’re passionate about improving your dental health and providing you and your family with great dental care in a patient-centered environment.
Your individual needs are always taken into consideration and we’re committed to giving you the information you need to help you make the most informed decision possible.
