Do you know what all goes into keeping your teeth in place?

It requires healthy gums, bones, and ligaments. When you have gum disease or gingivitis, your gum tissue and bone may become damaged. But, how does this disease begin to form?

Gum disease and gingivitis are triggered by a build up of plaque on your teeth. The plaque that builds up on your teeth contains a ton of bacteria which irritates your gums. After your gums become irritated, they begin to recede from your teeth and create small pockets. In turn, these pockets offer a place where more bacteria can collect and cause gingivitis. If your gingivitis goes untreated, it can progress into gum disease.

During your oral wellness visits, your hygienist or dentist will use an instrument that measures these pockets to determine the health of your gums. If you have gum disease, the pockets will be larger than 3mm and will bleed easily. The reason for this is that, over time, the plaque that builds up along your gum line will deteriorate your gums and damage the bones that support your teeth. After this begins to happen, your teeth may feel loose and might need to be removed.

47% of American adults suffer from some form of mild or severe gum disease.

There is some good news about gingivitis and gum disease: it responds extremely well to treatment.

When you detect the disease early, your dental hygienist will remove the plaque and tartar that may lead to the disease. This is just another reason to maintain your oral wellness visits with Dr. Faist. Your visits are a great time for your hygienist to offer some hints and tips to improve your at home dental hygiene as well.

If you do not catch gum disease in it’s early stages, you will need a different kind of therapy. This kind of therapy is called scaling and root planing and requires your dentist or dental hygienist to remove all the plaque and tartar to the bottom of the pocket. After this plaque and tartar is removed, your gum tissue will be able to attach back onto your teeth. Your scaling and root planing may take more than one visit. Your treatments will require follow ups to measure the pockets and determine how successful your cleaning was.

Contact Us to Schedule an Appointment

If you would like more information on gum disease and gingivitis, please visit the American Academy of Periodontology. If you would like to schedule an appointment at our office in Beachwood, OH we welcome you to contact us today! We are always welcoming new patients and would love to serve your needs.