Oral Care Advice

Gum disease treatment can help reduce your odds of contracting periodontitis, a more severe form of the problem.  Even if you take good care of your teeth by brushing and flossing appropriately, gum disease may occur.  An estimated 40-80% of adults have gum disease, and many are unaware of the situation.  And it is not restricted to adults either; teen-agers are also subject to the problem.  For teens, the worst part is that gum disease can cause bad breath—an embarrassing condition for any young adult.

When plaque builds up on teeth it eventually thickens and hardens into tartar, or calculus.  Underneath the calculus, bacteria come in contact with your gums and teeth and during their anaerobic life cycle, release substances that are toxic to your tissues.  If your gums bleed when you brush or floss your teeth, you probably already have gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease.  Some of the factors in the development of gum disease are genetic, but most come from poor eating habits and insufficient oral care.

Gum disease treatment can take many forms.  If you let your dentist determine your course of treatment, he will weigh the approach based upon your stage of gum disease.  Early forms of gingivitis can usually be treated with mouthwashes and improved oral care after the calculus has been removed.  More severe forms of the disease, called periodontitis, require scaling, planing, antibiotics and potentially surgery.  All these treatments are expensive and painful; do your best to avoid them.

The best option is to avoid the whole mess by initiating gum disease treatments at home, before gum disease sets in.  Knowing how to take care of your teeth and gums is basic knowledge everyone should possess.  Even if you have the early stages of gum disease, there are many things you can do at home to stop the disease and allow your mouth to recover fully.