Gum Disease and Gingivitis
Dentist Titus Dental Care
A serious dental condition, gum disease, which usually results in the loss of teeth, is also known as gingivitis, an inflammation of gum tissue. This condition and periodontal disease are the two most common forms of gum disease in adults, and you should brush your teeth and floss daily to remove all the plaque possible from them in order to prevent gum diseases. Gum disease or gingivitis will usually be the result, if plaque is allowed to build up on your teeth.
The gums will soon become irritated and swollen if tartar and plaque are allowed to build up along the gum line, and they will start to take on a puffy appearance and become very tender, over a period of time.
In this condition you’ll soon notice that your gums are becoming unusually sore when you brush your teeth, and with little or no pressure being applied they begin to bleed. Chances are that this is a sign you have gingivitis, because there should normally be no sign of blood after you have brushed your teeth.
There is no bone structure loss during this stage, and by brushing your teeth two or three times every day and flossing daily, you can even help prevent it altogether. If you should develop gingivitis, it could turn into periodontal disease if nothing is done to treat it. In fact, experience shows that those who keep poor daily oral hygiene habits or who fail to treat gingivitis in a timely manner, will definitely develop periodontal disease.
Unlike with gingivitis, bone and surrounding structures will be destroyed if you develop periodontal disease, and even though it is a very serious condition which cannot be reversed, you can stop its progression with a daily regimen of tooth brushing, flossing and regular dental appointments. When it comes to periodontal disease, the best course of action is to never let your teeth and gums deteriorate to that point.
During the formative stage of this dental condition, gums will become very sore and take on a bright red appearance, because the plaque is beginning to build up below the gum line and cause surface irritation. The plaque that turns into tartar below those gum lines will steadily eat away the tooth structure, if something isn’t done about the progression of this disease and it is left untreated.
In order for periodontal disease to be detected and definitely diagnosed, you will need to have regular dental appointments where your dentist can perform specific tests on your teeth and gums, but the tooth plaque doesn’t need to visibly detected, in order get a proper diagnosis. If a positive disease determination is made, the dentist can help you prevent conditions from getting worse and stop its progression.
Both gingivitis and periodontal disease tend to progress slowly, and neither one is particularly painful in their early stages, so a person may not even be aware that they are infected. However, in their later stages the tell-tales signs and symptoms will start showing up, and a patient will begin to experience tooth loss as the stages progress!
A person should always have professional dental cleanings and keep regular appointments with your dentist, in order to be on the safe side and protect your gums and teeth. You never want to wait until it’s too late, because your dentist can be effective in treating the earlier stages of gum or periodontal disease before it becomes gingivitis, if it is caught in time. If not, there will be very little your dentist can do, as the advanced stages can completely destroy your gums and teeth!
