Brushing, flossing, and regular dental checkups are a standard formula for preserving your natural, healthy teeth. But this kind of proactive care isn’t all you should be thinking about when it comes to oral care.
Having healthy gums is just as critical to your dental health. At Le Dentistry & Associates in Norcross, Georgia, our experienced dental team offers routine dental care to reduce your risk for gum disease, also known as periodontal disease.
Phuong Le, DMD, and Uyen Hoang, DMD, specialize in nonsurgical periodontal treatment if you do have early stage gum disease.
Find out how detecting gum disease early can reduce your risk for more serious complications.
What you should know about gum disease
About 65 million Americans have periodontal disease. This means that about half of all adults 30 and older have some form of gum disease.
Gum disease is progressive and occurs when plaque builds up along your gumline. Plaque contains bacteria and toxins that are harmful to your teeth. If you don’t remove plaque by brushing and flossing, damage to your gums occurs and worsens over time.
One of the most common early warning signs of gum disease is bleeding when you brush or floss.
Don’t delay an evaluation for bleeding gums
Even if you have a mild case of gum disease, called gingivitis, there are effective ways to reverse the damage. Our dental team can work with you to keep the disease from progressing and ensure your gums remain healthy.
Keeping your regular dentist appointments is one important step. During a professional teeth cleaning, we focus on removing the plaque buildup you can’t address at home with regular brushing and flossing.
Also, during your exam our dentists measure the pockets between your gums and teeth. The measurements reflect how tight of a grip your gums have on your teeth, so the lower the number, the better.
If you start to record higher numbers, we can discuss ways to ward off gum disease and prevent tooth loss and other permanent damage.
Early intervention prevents tooth loss
Our goal in the treatment of gingivitis is to slow down the progression before it gets to stage 2, called periodontitis, or stage 3, advanced periodontitis.
During the later stages of gum disease, most damage is irreversible and can include tooth loss and shifting teeth. Both of these issues can interfere with your ability to chew foods and even speak properly.
Our team offers nonsurgical treatment options for advanced gum disease. We recommend scaling and root planing (SRP), a procedure that uses an ultrasonic cleaner to remove plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) beneath your gumline. We then smooth the root of your teeth.
SRP procedures help your gums reattach to the structure of your teeth to keep them healthy. If this treatment doesn’t work well for you, our dental team can discuss your options for more advanced treatments.
If your gums are bleeding or inflamed, call Le Dentistry & Associates or book a gum disease consultation online today.