How to Reduce Your Risk of Gum Disease

In most cases, gum disease is preventable. Gum disease left untreated can permanently damage tissues in your mouth that hold your teeth in place, leading to serious problems, such as periodontal disease, damage to the jaw, and tooth loss.

Gum disease is an infection of the gums, generally caused by poor, or inadequate oral hygiene. If treated early on, mild cases of gum disease, such as gingivitis, can be cured, but advanced periodontal disease cannot be.  There is no cure all for gum disease.

You can help prevent gum disease by flossing once a day, getting regular dental cleanings, brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, and rinsing your mouth using a mouthwash. It is important to be diligent with your oral hygiene in order to avoid serious health problems.

If you are seeking gum disease treatment in Toronto, the first step is a deep cleaning. Unlike the regular cleaning you get done during your dental cleaning appointments, this deep clean goes under the gum line. This is to scrape the tartar buildup both above, and below your gumline, and in any deep pockets. Another option is root planing, which is when the rough surfaces of the tooth root are smoothed out, which helps the gums around your teeth reattach to your tooth. Both scaling and root planing will help make your gum tissues healthier, making them pinker and firmer, as opposed to puffy and irritated. Depending on the severity of the buildup, these procedures may take more than one appointment.

Neither scaling or root planing can regrow new bone, however cleaning the gums and pockets of debris is the first step to making your gums healthy, and clearing out the infection. For more serious cases, periodontal regeneration, which is a procedure to treat bone loss and periodontal pockets may be recommended by your periodontist. This process regenerates lost bone and can help the diseased tissue heal and attach back to the tooth. This is done by thoroughly cleansing the infected area, and placing an enamel matrix protein in the infected area, and then suturing it closed. There is a six month monitoring period to ensure that the tissue and gums are healing properly. This procedure is less invasive and generally less painful than periodontal flap.

When your periodontist needs to thoroughly clean, reshape bone, or place materials to try to regenerate new bone and tissue, they may suggest periodontal flap. This procedure involves lifting the gum tissue off of the bone to access the roots, bone and tissue that are badly infected and degenerating. After this procedure is done, the gum tissues are closed up, generally with the gums pressed tightly to the bone to reduce how deep the pockets under your teeth are, and to rejoin the gums and bone. The gums are stitched in place, and may require a dressing. After this procedure, you will not be able to chew on the treated area for two weeks. After the initial two week period, you should have your first checkup with your periodontist, and then around four weeks after that visit. Monitoring of the area will continue for around six months. This procedure is done with freezing, however some patients report feeling pain once the freezing wears off.

When looking for gum disease treatment in Toronto, it is important to discuss all your options with your periodontist, and the best course of action. While gum disease, in many cases is easily treated and reversed, if ignored it can lease to more serious health issues.

Facebook Headline: Gum disease can seriously impact your mouth, and your health.