What is gum disease?

Gum disease maple grove mn is when the soft tissue in your mouth becomes infected. Relatively painless it can sneak up on you and quickly create a number of health-related issues that have nothing but negative consequences attached to them. Let’s look at some of the causes of gum disease, the stages it goes through and how to cure the disease.

The cause of Gum Disease

Even though it has been recently proven that gum disease can be hereditary some oral medications can cause it as well as smoking. The primary cause is simply poor oral hygiene. At any given time each of us have between one and two million bacteria in our mouth. That also includes 200 to 300 different species. If you do not brush your teeth on a regular basis you are allowing a sticky substance called plaque to sit on your teeth. This substance contains more bacteria. That number can now jump 10-fold. More bacteria, more potential for infection. If the plaque sits on your teeth and reaches your gums it will immediately infect this soft tissue. 47% of American adults over the age of 30 have some level of gum disease.

The Different Levels of Stages of Gum Disease

The first level is called gingivitis. There is no pain or discomfort as an indicator at this level. You will notice your gums changing to a darker color, they will begin to swell and you will experience consistent bad breath. The disease is reversible at this stage. Once it is left to advance the only discomfort still is that your gums will become tender and begin to bleed. They will also pull away from your teeth creating pockets that can easily collect food particles and further accelerate the disease. This second level is called periodontitis disease.

How to Treat Gum Disease

To combat gum disease, you must get the plaque removed. This can be done sometimes by your general dentist or if scaling on the teeth needs to go below the gum line it will be done by a periodontist. If the disease has progressed there may need to be surgical scaling and root planning done to remove the plaque. The disease can also cause some bone loss with the roots so it will take quite some time to heal and the damage is not reversible at this point.

Gum Disease Prevention

The single best prevention of gum disease starts and ends with you. You need to establish and maintain good oral hygiene practices. The health industry strongly suggest that you brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes each time. They also would like to see you floss between your teeth once day to remove the plaque that is sitting in areas missed by the tooth brush. You should replace your tooth brush every six months which coincides with checkups you should schedule. If you see your dentist every six months for regular evaluations they can create and maintain a history of your oral health and send you home after a good professional cleaning. Own it. Take care of your teeth and your gums.

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