Gum Diseases – Causes and Treatments
Today gum disease treatment has become highly advanced, however, gum diseases or gingivitis continue to plague our oral well-being. Gum disease is for the most part caused by inappropriate oral cleanliness that enables microscopic organisms in plaque to stay on the teeth and infect the gums. Some of the most common risk factors are as follows:
- Smoking or chewing tobacco.
- Crooked or overlapping teeth which are harder to clean.
- Hormonal changes in adolescence, pregnancy, and menopause.
- Cancer and cancer treatment can make a person more susceptible to infection and increase the risk of disease.
- Alcohol affects oral defense mechanisms.
- Stress impairs the body’s immune response to bacterial invasion.
- Drugs, for example, antiseizure medicines cause gum disease.
- Inconsistent or no dental care
- Poor saliva production
Gum Disease Treatment
The treatment objectives for gum disease are to identify and wipe out the components that are making the person vulnerable to gum disease. Most factors can be dispensed with by oral cleanliness and dental cleanings. If there are more serious hazard factors, for example, smoking or uncontrolled diabetes that are contributing to the gum disease, they should be tended to. After the plaque and tartar are evacuated by a dentist, the patient can generally get rid of gum disease by brushing and flossing after each dinner and using a mouthwash. Under the supervision of a dentist, a patient can use 10% carbamide peroxide in a specially designed plate that fits over the teeth with beneficial outcomes on plaque control. This type of gum disease treatment is useful in patients where ordinary oral cleanliness habits like brushing and flossing are hindered because of age or special need needs.
Gum Disease and Periodontal Disease
In situations where gum disease or gingivitis has prompted periodontal disease and there are deep pockets that are difficult to clean. The patient may require deep scaling to clean teeth that are surrounded by deep pockets. They may require careful treatment to access all the tooth surfaces for an exhaustive cleaning. This surgical procedure is called flap surgery and can be combined with a pocket-reduction surgery to make the areas around the teeth easier for the patient to clean with brushing and flossing. This procedure consists of numbing the gums and then lifting them back to clean the teeth and sometimes reshape the bone. The gums are then repositioned around the teeth so there aren’t the deep pockets that existed before treatment.
Soft tissue grafts are used to conceal root surfaces that have been uncovered by receding gums. This can help cure sensitive teeth and protect the root surfaces that are gentler and more difficult to clean.
What kinds of authorities treat gum disease?
Periodontists are dentists who have completed additional training after dental school focused entirely on the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of disease of the gum and bone surrounding the teeth. In advanced cases of gingivitis or periodontal disease, a general dentist may recommend a gross debridement of superficial plaque and tartar and will then refer the affected patient to a periodontist for evaluation. Periodontists may recommend a variety of nonsurgical or surgical procedures to help stabilize the gum condition.
Contact us at the Periodontal Specialists and book your appointment.
