How to Discuss With Your Dentist if You Have Gum Disease

Gum diseases is a common condition when gums become red, sore, swollen or infected. The medical term for this is periodontitis.

At first, you will notice that a red ring has appeared around the gumline (this is where your gums and your teeth meet). When left untreated, gum disease can lead to advanced periodontitis. This disease happens when a plaque that contains bacteria builds up on the teeth. Some of these bacteria are harmless for the gums but others could be harmful. When we don’t brush our teeth in the correct form, this plaque builds up and it irritates the gum.

If your gums are swollen or become painful, and more importantly, if they bleed when you brush your teeth, you definitely need to make an appointment at a dental office in Dryden.

This disease rarely happens in children. However, it’s very common in adults. Numerous adults experience some degree of gum disease in their life. Therefore, they often ask themselves: should I go to the dentist near me? The answer is usually yes.

Gum disease advances and escalates throughout time. Therefore, we can divide it into five stages:

• Stage 1: At this stage, you have healthy teeth and gums, and the teeth are well supported by the bone all the way to the crown of the tooth. Healthy gums have a pinkish look (depending on the skin tone) and they are firm. The patient brushes their teeth at least two times a day for two minutes and flushes using interdental brushes or dental floss.

• Stage 2 or gingivitis: The gums become swollen or puffy, and a red ring appears on the gumline, where there’s also calculus (plaque) that has accumulated causing infection. This is caused when the patient has poor oral hygiene. At this point, your gums may bleed when brushing your teeth. However, the good news is that this stage is perfectly reversible after the bacteria is removed. If you have any of these symptoms, make an appointment at a dental office in Dryden.

• Stage 3 or early periodontitis: If you had gingivitis and left it untreated, it most likely advanced to this stage. At this point, bacteria infects the bone that supports the tooth causing it to recede slightly. Then, the gums become more irritated and the pockets become harder to clean and deeper. This is reversible, but the bone loss is not. Despite this, if you visit your dentist, it could be stopped.

• Stage 4 or moderate periodontitis: Teeth become loose as the bone level drops further. Furthermore, gaps appear between the teeth and the gumline because the pockets have deepened and the gums have shrunk. Food gets trapped in these pockets, and your toothbrush may not be able to properly clean your mouth. As a patient, you will require three deep cleans monthly as part of the treatment.

• Stage 5 or advanced periodontitis: At this stage, teeth have a poor prognosis. Furthermore, they interfere with your bite and can even pose a hazard. The teeth can be very loose and are often able to be depressed into the socket, as well as be moved side to side. Teeth are no longer well supported at this stage due to the fact that the bone levels have dropped so much.

If you visit the dentist when you suspect you have a gum problem, it can be very easy to treat and it usually is reversible. However, if you leave gum disease untreated, you could develop periodontitis and suffer numerous complications.

You can get periodical checkups at a dental office in Dryden, preventing gum disease from happening at all or from becoming periodontitis. This way you’ll always have a natural, healthy, and beautiful smile.