Dentists call it Periodontal Disease. Often it is painless until the damage to the supporting structures of your teeth is far and wide. Consider the bone destruction with gum disease similar to a process of removing a couple of wheelbarrows full of dirt a day from around a telephone pole. Over time what would happen to the telephone pole? It would become lose, start tilting, and eventually would fall over.
This is how periodontal disease affects your teeth with the one big difference being that the damage is openly visible with the telephone pole. With periodontal disease, the gums cover and hide the destruction taking place. And initially the gums do not recede or shrink, but with all the inflammation they instead swell as tiny blood vessels move in to fight the infection, with easy bleeding being an often overlooked or rationalized symptom. If people’s gums were transparent and those with periodontal disease could witness the onslaught of bone destruction around their teeth, there would be daily lines at the dentist’s door.
Do you have tender or swollen gums which bleed upon flossing or close brushing? Have you started to notice teeth separate or become loose? Has it been more than 3 years since you last saw your dentist for a thorough evaluation and the hygienist for a cleaning? If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, you may have mild, moderate, or possibly severe periodontal disease.
To treat periodontal disease the hard and soft deposits that have accumulated below the gum line on your teeth must be thoroughly removed using local dental anesthetic. We call the procedure Scaling and Root Planing, but you may have heard it called “Deep Scaling” or “Deep Cleaning” (though it is a true bum therapy and much more than just a cleaning).
Sometimes with this therapy the office may use an FDA approved antibiotic powder chip called Arestin. Easily placed below the gum line in several areas, Arestin combats the bacteria that cause periodontal disease for up to 21 days, which is the critical period of gum recovery following this therapy. Most or often all of the cost of Arestin will be covered by medical insurance. Go to www.Orapharma.com to learn more.
You may have seen various articles or news stories about possible relationships between periodontal health and overall health, especially relating to heart disease, plus even some forms of cancer. Go to www.perio.org to learn more.
If it has been more than a year since you last saw your dentist or hygienist, please call us for a thorough evaluation to help ensure you keep your smile and your overall health protected from this hidden threat.
To find out more about the correlation between periodontal disease and overall health, visit these websites: www.perio.org | www.americanheart.org | www.adha.org | www.time.com | www.orapharma.com | www.healthywomen.org
Get in touch with us today
336-768-3474
Smile Sensations Dental
3015 Maplewood Ave. Suite 100 Winston-Salem, NC 27103
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