What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease, or gum disease, attack the gum and bone that surrounds and supports the teeth. The word periodontal means “around the tooth”.
Plaque is the beginning of periodontal disease. It is a sticky film made up of bacteria and food remnants that cover your tooth, gets between your teeth and sits at your gum line. When plaque is left too long and begins to affect your mouth, it is referred to as Gingivitis.
If the plaque is not regularly removed, it will harden and turn into tartar, or calculus, and begin to attack your gums, teeth and bone. Once this attack begins, it is considered periodontal disease.
Signs of periodontal disease
While good oral hygiene, healthy diet and regular teeth cleanings and dental exams greatly reduce the risk of periodontal disease, everyone is still at a slight risk so it is important to know the symptoms. If caught at an early stage, it is much simpler to treat.
Some of the things to watch out for are bleeding gums, loose teeth, persistent bad breath, pus around the teeth or gums, receding gum line, red and puffy gums or tenderness and discomfort in your gums.
How is it treated?
The type of treatment you receive will depend on the stage of the disease. When caught at an early stage, dentists can prevent permanent damage by recommending one or two professional cleanings and giving instructions on improving your oral health.
If the disease has progressed beyond that, then scaling and root planing will be done, which are types of deep cleaning. All plaque and other forms of bacteria and infection are removed from above and just below the gum line (scaling) and rough spots on tooth roots are smoothed (planing).
Scaling and planing are done on only one quadrant of the mouth at a time so that the entire quadrant can be numbed.
For the worst cases of the disease, pocket elimination surgery, laser treatment or tissue and bone grafting might be necessary.
Gingival probing and pocket depth
Periodontitis
Proper flossing technique
Healthy gums
Now Dental dentist Redcliffe gum disease
We can help you
no matter your stage of oral health
Give the professionals at Now Dental a call today for a cleaning appointment or to ask about the signs of periodontal disease. We can help you no matter what stage you are at, so do not hesitate to contact us.
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