Oral Care Advice

They wanted me to submit to a ‘root scaling and planing’ procedure. They said it would not hurt because they would numb my gums before proceeding. Did I want to get started today?

NO! I don’t want to start today. I wondered why I needed this procedure all of a sudden!

As I looked further into the situation, a larger picture began to reveal itself. It became apparent that I was the victim of gum disease, the silent epidemic that stalks most people who don’t usually realize it until it is time for a costly and potentially painful treatment and recovery.

What I think is disturbing is that a condition doesn’t get this bad between office visits. Why did I suddenly need this treatment? Why wasn’t this mentioned before? How come I wasn’t told how to prevent it? In fact, gum disease often develops slowly over a period of years. More importantly, it is preventable.

Gum recession and tissue that is lost won’t normally return on it’s own. The gum recession remains permanent unless you go to a Periodontist, who can rebuild that tissue by inserting bone matrix or by utilizing other similar procedures. This is also an expensive proposition.

As I mentioned before, I declined the root scaling and planing. The response from the hygienist was that she wanted me to sign a paper that it wasn’t their fault if I lost my teeth. My satisfaction came six months later when the hygienist looked at my mouth and said that I didn’t need that root scaling and planing any longer.

My frustration, however, lingers. I’ve visited the same dentist’s office for about 8 years now. This didn’t happen overnight. Why wasn’t I ever told how to stop gum disease from getting worse? Going back even further why was I not told how to prevent it? The gum recession doesn’t reverse by itself. The gums may be healthy again, but the tissue loss remains.

Here is a quote from the Mayo Clinic website, “nearly 80 percent of American adults have some form of gum (periodontal) disease.” Therefore, dentistry must know that people either have or are developing the disease. The question begs to be answered, “how do I prevent this in the first place?”

Unfortunately, you may get an answer suggesting that brushing and flossing are important. I agree they are important, but you can not tell me that 80% of Americans are not brushing and flossing. Just thinking about the numbers leads to the conclusion that brushing and flossing are NOT enough to prevent gum disease for most people.

I found a combination of materials that I could use to stop gum disease from getting worse. It was a great discovery for me personally. The last time I visited the dentist, there was no bleeding. My gums are a healthy pink now. Unfortunately, getting the lost tissue back would involve some expensive treatment and potentially painful recovery time.

Fortunately, I can prevent further problems. I wish that I had an article like this one in my hands 15 years ago. That way, I could have kept the gum tissue that I had. My teeth and gums look fine, even when I smile. It’s when I look closely that I notice just how much tissue was lost. It didn’t have to be that way. If things had gotten worse, I could have lost teeth over this disease. Don’t lose yours.

The Gingivitis Killer site tells the story of how I stopped the progression of the disease. Special Note: If you have gum disease or suspect you might, visit your dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

David Snape is the author of What You Should Know about Gum Disease – an important book considering that the majority of adults suffer from some form of gum disease. David also answers questions on any health, fitness or wellness topic at his blog: http://tobeinformed.com – David believes in oral irrigation to help fight against gum disease and that the premiere oral irrigation device on the market is the Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes. It does not intend to provide advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you have an oral health problem, visit a periodontist for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated any statements about products in this article.

Do you wonder about the health of your gums? Have you ever seen red, puffy or bleeding gums upon brushing or flossing. Have you grown, ‘long in the tooth’? Have you lost any teeth due to gum disease? Know anyone else that has?

Eighty percent of American adults suffer from some form of gum disease according to the Mayo Clinic website. The question begs to be answered, why? Eighty percent? That is quite a high number. No one ever talks about gum disease which leads me to believe that out of that eighty percent, few realize they suffer from it. Eighty percent equates to eight out of ten people.

That means most of the people you know, possibly including yourself, suffer from some form of gum disease. Many people may not know that they have gum disease. They may in the future, though, because eventually their dentist will tell them that they need a ‘root scaling and planing’, surgery or periodontal work done.

The Surgeon General once described gum disease as a silent epidemic. Studies keep surfacing that suggest that gum disease may be a precursor to larger problems such as heart disease. Gum disease may be a route that bacteria and other pathogens enter the body through. Having gum disease means that you have left an open door to infection.

Despite all of this, few people talk about gum disease and even fewer are doing anything about it. I can foresee a day when people will pay particular attention to their oral health, because it will become common knowledge of just how serious the situation with our gum tissue is.

Unfortunately, many people will lose precious gum tissue before they even realize that they have this disease or before their dentist mentions it to them. That is why the time is precisely now to start working on this, regardless of what stage of oral health you are at. Protecting your gum tissue is protecting your overall health if all the suspected links to other disease are real.

If you are anything like me, you went for quite some time thinking it didn’t matter if your gums bled a little during brushing or flossing. Nothing is further from the truth. If you experience any bleeding at all while brushing and flossing, that is probably indicating an abnormal and possibly diseased condition. Check with your dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Since eighty percent of adult Americans suffer from this disease it is reasonable to suspect that the preventative measures of brushing and flossing that we were all taught are not adequate to prevent or stop gum disease. If you are like me, you found that you have suffered from this disease and have lost bone and tissue as result.

I was determined not to lose any teeth to this villain and researched and tested a number of tools that I could use to arrest the progress of gum disease and keep it away. I wrote the Gingivitis Killer website to report what I have found. This article is for informative purposes only, check with your dentist if you have or think you might have gum disease for diagnosis and treatment.

David Snape is the author of What You Should Know about Gum Disease – an important book considering that the majority of adults suffer from some form of gum disease. David also answers questions on any health, fitness or wellness topic at his blog: http://tobeinformed.com – David believes in oral irrigation to help fight against gum disease and that the premiere oral irrigation device on the market is the Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes. It does not intend to provide advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you have an oral health problem, visit a periodontist for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated any statements about products in this article.

A white smile is one of the first things people notice about you. But are you doing everything to keep your mouth healthy? A recent survey showed that only 29% of American adults perform all of the three most basic oral health activities and many are left feeling that their toothpaste could do more to clean the 40 percent of their tooth surface hidden between teeth. Distributed by Tubemogul.