What Is Gum Disease?
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is an inflammatory condition that causes the gums to become inflamed and infected. The body responds to infection with inflammation. If this inflammation persists for a long time, it can cause bone loss around the teeth, creating deeper gum pockets and tissue breaks down. Gingivitis is considered the first stage of gum disease and is marked by swollen and bleeding gums. As gum disease progresses, swollen or deep pockets around the teeth can allow bacteria, viruses and fungus to collect and grow, leading to greater chance for infection. According to the NIH, 42% of U.S. citizens over the age of 30 have gum disease and 8% have severe periodontal disease and almost 60% of adults 65 years and older have gum disease. In severe cases, periodontal disease can lead to advanced bone and teeth loss.
Key Takeaways
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is marked by inflamed and infected gums. Early symptoms of gum disease include swollen gums, bleeding gums, painful gums, and bad breath. Gum disease is connected to a number of systemic diseases. People with a medical history of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, history of heart attack or stroke, autoimmune diseases and syndromes, including rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and/or dementia are at higher risk for developing gum disease. Good oral habits, at-home care, and regular dentist visits for screening can help reduce the risk of gum disease and help with early detection for more effective treatment. Montrose Dental Wellness provides innovative dental care that includes guided biofilm therapy, salivary testing, and individualized treatment plans.
Table of Contents
- What is Gum Disease
- Signs and Symptoms of Gum Disease
- What Increases Your Risk of Gum Disease?
- How Gum Disease Impacts Overall Health
- Effective Gum Disease Care
- Severe Periodontal Disease Treatment
Early Signs and Symptoms of Gum Disease
Dentists and hygienists routinely screen for gum disease during regular preventive visits and can help determine whether you have gum disease, its severity, and an action plan for resolving the condition.
If you’re looking for symptoms at home, early signs of gum disease include:
- Swollen gums
- Bleeding gums
- Painful gums
- Bad breath
- Medical histories that include: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, history of heart attack or stroke, autoimmune diseases and syndromes, including rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and/or dementia.
What Increases Your Risk of Gum Disease?
Good oral habits, at-home care, and regular dentist visits for screening can help decrease your risk of developing gum disease and catch early signs. Many genetic factors contribute to the condition, increasing one’s risk. Smoking and cardiovascular disease increase your risk of developing gum disease. People living with diabetes or cancer also have a higher risk due to immunocompromisation, which makes it more difficult to fight off infections.
How Gum Disease Impacts Overall Health
Gum disease doesn’t just impact your gums and teeth; its presence also contributes to several systemic diseases. For instance, researchers have found connections between the presence of gum disease and cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, cancer, and erectile dysfunction, amongst others.
Effective Gum Disease Care
At Montrose Dental Wellness, we go beyond average gum disease care. With a focus on preventive care, we work with our patients to avoid gum disease progression whenever possible. Salivary testing is performed for all our patients with gum disease to determine the types of bacteria, viruses, or fungi living in the mouth. This allows us to tailor our treatments specifically to the microbiome makeup for each individual and ensure that treatments are as successful as possible.
Learn more about Saliva Testing
We also provide an innovative hygiene protocol called Guided Biofilm Therapy. This treatment helps identify bacterial biofilm, also known as plaque, to help determine your risk for gum disease, decay, or other oral conditions. Compared to traditional hygiene cleanings, this pain-free cutting-edge dental technology allows us to detect problems early, as well as ensure that our patients leave their hygiene appointments with the most thorough cleaning, decreasing the risk of disease progression.
Gum Disease Treatment at Montrose Dental Wellness
While every patient’s treatment plan is built to address their individual needs, this will give you an idea of what a gum disease treatment plan at Montrose Dental Wellness might look like.
- Screening— New or existing patient exam screening includes periodontal probing and charting to map bone loss, bleeding, and deep pockets.
- Salivary test—If we determine that gum disease is present, we’ll conduct a salivary test. Once we receive the results, they are reviewed with the patient to help determine if they need medication to aid in the treatment of gum disease,
- Periodontal therapy—This is often referred to as deep cleaning; however, we use our GBT technology to not only remove all hard deposits (tartar), we also remove all bacterial biofilm on the teeth. We also use lasers to kill bacteria deep in the gum tissues and promote healing and special rinses to help create a healthier environment that kills bacteria and restores the oral microbiome to its proper pH. The goal of periodontal therapy is to resolve as much active disease as we can and avoid gum surgery, when possible.
- Decontamination—Following periodontal therapy, we allow the body time to heal while maintaining low biofilm levels. Decontamination allows us to do this by removing biofilm without disrupting the healing process, giving the body the boost it needs to help heal.
- Re-evaluation and Maintenance Therapy—Approximately three months following periodontal therapy, we re-examine the tissues to determine how each patient’s body has responded to the initial treatments. If all bleeding and inflammation have resolved, our patients go into continued maintenance therapy and cleanings. If residual bleeding or inflammation persists, the doctor and hygienist will discuss advanced treatment options with the patient.
Severe Periodontal Disease Treatment
For cases that present with advanced bone loss that cannot be treated with periodontal therapy or do not respond well to the treatments, we work closely with our patients to refer them to a periodontist (gum tissue specialist) for further evaluation and surgical treatments, which may include tissue grafting and advanced laser surgeries to re-establish bone. There are sometimes cases where the disease is so advanced that no procedures can resolve it, and in those cases, tooth extraction is the only option. Like most conditions, early detection makes treatment easier and more effective.
Schedule your hygiene visit at Montrose Dental Wellness today— call 970-497-4009