Cosmetic Dentist Bellevue WA INFORMATION ON GUM DISEASE

The onset of dental diseases always appears to be sudden and without warning. However, the fact of the matter is that dental diseases take a period of time to develop before manifesting themselves in the form of a toothache. Thus, one must be informed of the different kinds of dental disease and how they develop. The main focus of this article is gum disease.

Also known as periodontal disease, this is a type of dental infection that attacks the tissues and bones supporting the teeth. If this condition is left untreated, then the teeth become loose and painful, and the ultimate result is tooth loss. Even though it is older people that commonly suffer from this, it may also affect young people and teens who are more likely to experience milder problems such as bad breath.

Gum disease is usually caused by plaque accumulating in the mouth cavity. Plaque is an invisible sticky film of living and dead bacteria, which forms on the teeth and gums. The failure to constantly remove plaque leads to its hardening within a period of two weeks Besides plaque, there are also number of other factors which affect the health of the gums. These are smoking, a change in hormonal levels associated with pregnancy and menopause in women, certain medication, , stress, diabetes, teeth grinding, poor nutrition and obesity.

Gum disease occurs in a series of progressive stages. The mildest one is called gingivitis. Symptoms that indicate the onset of gingivitis are bleeding of the gums when brushing or flossing the teeth, gum tenderness, and discoloration. Healthy gums will in this case appear pink and firm as opposed to red and swollen.

The next and more advanced form of gum disease is periodontitis. If it is left unattended, dental plaque hardens to form a substance known as tartar or calculus. Tartar then begins destroying the gum tissue and this makes the gum start to pull away from the teeth. A kind of pocket around their base is formed. Bacteria then wrecks these pockets and this leads to the destruction of gum tissue and the jaw bone. As a result, the teeth become loose and begin to fall out one after another.

The treatment of this condition involves the removal of plaque and tartar from the teeth through deep cleaning methods such as scaling and root planning. Depending on the progression of the condition, taking of medication along with scaling and root planning is advised.Certain antibiotics kill the bacteria and stop the infection and inflammation from spreading in the mouth.

Advanced forms of periodontitis may require surgical intervention. This intervention is necessary if the gum tissue is so damaged that it cannot be repaired. The more commonly prescribed of these procedures are soft tissue grafts, crown lengthening, regenerative treatment, and pocket reduction procedures. The dentist has to open and clean the gum pockets, then stitch the gum tissue back into the right place around the teeth.