Gum Disease Treatment
Chicago, IL
Gum Disease Treatment provided by Our Team of Dental Experts
in Chicago, IL at East Village Dental Centre
If you notice a pink tinge on your toothbrush after brushing your teeth, you could be suffering from gum disease. Gum disease is known to cause tooth loss among adults. This is why you must remain cautious and always protect your gums.
Our team at East Village Dental Centre encourages you to practice high standards of oral hygiene to maintain optimal mouth health.
What is Gum Disease?
Also known as gingivitis, gum disease is the infection and inflammation of the gum line that can damage the bone supporting your teeth. The accumulation of plaque, a sticky and thick film of bacteria around your teeth, mainly causes this condition. The bacteria also accumulates around your gums and causes periodontal disease.
If you don't remove the plaque through brushing and flossing, it will harden and turn into tartar. This will lead to a slow build-up of the infection, eventually leading to periodontitis.
Can Periodontal Disease Be Cured?
Periodontal disease can be cured when in its early stages. However, once it advances, the only cure is having all of your teeth removed and replaced with implant-supported teeth. Once we diagnose periodontal disease, we cannot reverse it through nonsurgical treatments or standard medications. Besides, most of the modern medications for periodontal disease are designed to prevent and manage the condition rather than cure it.
The only way to treat advanced periodontal disease is by extracting it from its source, which means removing and replacing your natural teeth with artificial teeth.
What Causes Gum Disease?
Plaque build-up is the main cause of gum disease. However, there are several other causes of the condition that you can prevent. They include:
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Poor Oral Hygiene: If you don't take good care of your mouth by brushing and flossing, you will likely develop gum disease. Gingivitis thrives in such conditions and can advance quickly if you don't come in for treatment.
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Hormonal Changes: In some cases, hormonal changes result in gum disease. Changes occurring during puberty, pregnancy, monthly menstruation, and menopause can make gums sensitive and increase the chances of gingivitis. This is why we encourage all those undergoing these changes to come in regularly for checkups. Early detection will help fix the condition easily.
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Bad Habits: Unhealthy habits like smoking will significantly increase the chances of getting gum disease. Smoking weakens the gums and makes them hard to repair. Any infection can rapidly advance into gingivitis because the gums have little protection.
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Illnesses: Some illnesses will increase the chances of gum disease. Conditions like HIV or cancer interfere with the immune system required to fight gum disease infections. Given that diabetes affects your body's ability to use blood sugar, people suffering from this condition are at a high risk of developing infections such as gum disease or dental cavities. Additional care is required to keep gum infections at bay. |
How is Periodontal Disease Treated?
Brushing and flossing cannot eliminate the hardened tartar; therefore, our professionals will need to conduct thorough dental cleaning to get rid of it. The first nonsurgical step we take is performing a specialized cleaning called root planing and scaling to get rid of plaque and tartar on your gums and teeth.
This advanced procedure helps treat gum disease and shrink all periodontal pockets. The process is done over a few visits to ensure efficiency. At your next appointment, we will check the pocket depth to ascertain the effectiveness of root planing and scaling. If the periodontal pockets haven't shrunk to the desired level, we will perform surgery to prevent tooth loss.
The surgery helps eliminate infected parts of the gum and prevent the spread of gingivitis.
How to Prevent Gum Disease
The best way to prevent gum disease is to maintain high standards of oral hygiene. The accumulation of harmful bacteria causes gum disease, and good oral hygiene is the best way to avoid it. Ensure that you consistently and thoroughly brush your teeth.
You should also floss at least twice daily to eliminate debris that brushing might have missed. Removing plaque and food particles prevents the development of gum disease and entirely stops its spread. You can also prevent gum disease by visiting our offices for regular checkups.
You shouldn't wait until you feel pain before coming in for a checkup. When you feel discomfort or irritation, the gums will already have developed an infection or be in the advanced stages of gingivitis. This becomes challenging to manage, even with medication.
Therefore, you should schedule regular checkups and routine cleanings to prevent the development of gum disease. If we find any form of gum disease, we will recommend in-office treatment that fixes the problem in time.
How to Know if You Have Gum Disease
Even though the symptoms of gum disease are often subtle, there are various warning signs you can notice. Symptoms of this condition vary according to its stage, meaning you might not notice some symptoms until gum disease is in its advanced stages.
One of the early warning signs of gum disease is bleeding gums right after you brush your teeth. If you have bloody spit after brushing, you should visit our offices immediately. Another sign is red, swollen gums. When your gums become swollen and turn red, you could have gum disease. Healthy gums are firm and pink in color. A persistent bad taste in the mouth or bad breath is another sign of gum disease.
Have our experts assess you when you have such symptoms. You could also suffer from gingivitis if you have receding gums.
Can Gum Disease Make You Sick?
Gum disease can make you sick. It increases the risk of getting respiratory infections such as pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Therefore, you should come in for treatment immediately after you notice warning signs of gum disease.
Schedule an Appointment Today!
Gum disease is a dangerous oral condition that shouldn't be taken lightly. Our Chicago dental team at East Village Dental Centre will help ensure this condition doesn't cause any damage by treating it in advance.
Schedule an appointment with us by calling 773-341-9325 today! |
