Gums are often forgotten body parts. However, they need careful care, or they may succumb to periodontal disease, better known as gum disease. The bad news is that gum disease, if left untreated, can kill you. Is gum disease treatable? That’s the good news. It’s not incurable and gum disease symptoms are easily treatable.
Just how common is periodontal disease? The Surgeon General estimates that about 80 percent of all Americans over 35 suffer from some form of gum disease. It strikes people of all ages. Taking steps to prevent gum disease in teenagers and gum disease in 20s helps not only your teeth, but your bones and your whole body.
Gum disease is basically caused by bacteria left on the gums, or in the pockets trapped between the teeth and the gums. Eventually, the bacteria build up into plaque. The plaque causes tartar, which causes inflammation of the gums, which is called gingivitis. Not everyone who has gingivitis has gum disease. Think of gingivitis as the first step to gum disease.
Just what causes gingivitis differs from person to person. For some people, it may be a combination of causes. According to the Mayo Clinic, the main causes of gingivitis are:
Gingivitis contains the first symptoms of gum disease. How do you know when you have gingivitis? Here is a list of symptoms of a gum infection so you know when to contact a dentist for gingivitis treatment:
Remember, the good news is that your gingivitis cure may be only one dental visit away. Who treats gingivitis? Good dentists can but you may be advised to see a gum specialist. Keep in mind that you need to keep on brushing and flossing your teeth during gingivitis treatment, despite the blood and the pain. It’s important to keep the tartar down as much as possible so you can fix gingivitis and do not get gum disease.
Let’s say you’ve ignored how to fix gingivitis and now things have gotten worse. How do you know when you have a gum disease? What dies gum disease feel like? Here is a complete list of gum disease symptoms:
There has been plenty of news on and offline that your gum disease can cause a heart attack. That’s not entirely true. Signs of gum disease and heart disease are marked by inflammation. Whether inflammation of the gums causes inflammation of the arteries is unknown. One may not necessarily cause the other, so a gingivitis cure may not prevent heart disease.
According to Harvard Medical School, people with gum disease often get heart disease. Why this happens is not entirely known, but one theory is that the plaque in your gums gets into your bloodstream and blocks up your arteries. However, the plaque in your mouth is different from the plaque in your arteries.
How to get rid of gum disease differs for each person, but the important thing is to get started getting rid of it or it will get worse. Get help when the first sign of Gum disease symptoms appear.
The best way to prevent gum disease is to go immediately for gingivitis treatment at the first signs of gum infection. You can also prevent gum disease by preventing gingivitis. Fortunately, most of these actions you can do yourself.
When you visit your dentist or gum specialist for a gum disease cure or for gingivitis treatment, be sure to take a list of your current medications so there is bad interaction with any medication your dentist or specialist may need to prescribe. Also include a list of any over the counter medications you take daily, even aspirin or allergy medications. The list should also include any vitamins or nutritional supplements like calcium that you are taking.
Treatments for gum disease depend on how far advanced your disease happens to be. You may need one or more kinds of treatments before you can achieve a cure. These include:
Who treats gingivitis or gum disease? Any dentist will help you find the best treatment for your gum disease symptoms for you. You may need to go see a specialist, called a periodontist, such as our own Dr. Hanookai here at Southland Dental Care. If you live in the greater Southland Oaks area, give us a call today to check your teeth and gums.
Gingivitis and gum disease symptoms are serious threats to your health, so treat them seriously. Is gum disease treatable? Yes. Is gum disease permanent? No. However, you need professional help to keep your gums from getting worse. You cannot successfully treat gum disease at home. Whether you need gingivitis treatment or need to learn how to get rid of gum disease, contact Southland Dental Care today for your complimentary dental consultation.