Being able to identify the early signs of periodontal disease, also known as periodontitis and gum disease, is a crucial step you can take towards maintaining the health of your mouth. It’s essential to ensure that both your teeth and your gums are healthy at all times so that you don’t develop any complications.
If you do get gum disease and you leave it untreated, it’ll be difficult to try and undo the damage it’s caused. There are several periodontal treatments available, but intervening in the early stages is of utter importance. Talk to your own dentist about it and listen to their advice in order to prevent it.
What is gum disease?
Periodontal disease starts as a result of the inflammation of the gums and bones supporting the teeth. Once the area becomes inflamed, an infection will soon form and spread if left untreated. In the early stages of periodontitis, you’ll notice that your gums are bleeding easily, just from brushing your teeth. After that, if the disease is left untreated, gums will recede, look red, and feel swollen and teeth will start to loosen, only to fall out in the end, as the gum and bone supporting them will be completely lost.
Early signs
There are quite a few warnings you should be aware of when it comes to gum disease. These can include:
- gums will be red and swollen
- you’ll develop bad breath
- teeth sensitivity increases
- chewing becomes painful
- gums start to recede
- your bite is different
Risk Factors
There are certain aspects and lifestyles that represent quite high risk factors when it comes to getting gum disease. Some of the most common one are the following:
- the disease running in the family
- smoking
- bad oral hygiene
- medication leading to a dry mouth
- oral contraception
Causes
Bacteria that are not regularly removed by brushing or flossing cause inflammation around the tooth. Bacteria will cause plaque which hardens to tartar. Tartar builds up and will make teeth harder to clean and it can spread below the gum line, which cannot be removed with conventional brushing at home.
A dental health professional will be able to remove tartar build-up and stop the periodontal process. However, ensuring you regularly brush your teeth and maintain adequate oral hygiene between visits is the only way to work with your dentist to ensure you are caring for your teeth and mouth in the best possible way.
How common is gum disease?
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has done research concerning gum disease and their findings suggest that up to 90% of UK residents suffer from gingivitis. Their study also shows that 50% of people older than 30 years old develop some form of the disease. What’s more, 70% of individuals aged 65 and above are prone to developing symptoms. The disease is also more common in men rather than women.
Treatment
Regarding more serious cases, treatments include:
- gum surgery
- dental implant surgery
- soft tissue regeneration
- deep cleaning meant to remove any plaque or tartar