WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE PERIODONTAL DISEASE

PERIODONTAL DISEASE IS CAUSED BY BACTERIAL INFECTION

Family dentists diagnose and treat periodontal disease to help you avoid losing teeth from a serious infection that spreads through soft tissues inside the mouth.

Periodontal disease rarely occurs when you visit a dental professional on a regular basis to have plaque removed from teeth along with having cavities filled.

Plaque is a hard substance that collects toward the base of teeth or in difficult to reach areas, and it contains bacteria that destroy dental enamel.

Without quick intervention from a dentist, the bacteria multiply to invade your dental pulp and gum tissue.

GINGIVITIS SYMPTOMS BEGIN FIRST

Before developing periodontal disease, you will have gingivitis that affects only the gum tissue with symptoms such as:

Swollen tissue at the base of your teeth Reddish or purplish gum tissue A foul taste in your mouth

Your gum tissue may look shiny Chronic halitosis despite daily dental hygiene Pain while drinking beverages or chewing food Bleeding from the gums while brushing or flossing your teeth

WHAT LEADS TO GINGIVITIS?

You might be predisposed to gingivitis because of an inherited tendency, but in most cases, it is caused by: Poor dental hygiene Mental stress Bad habits such as smoking cigarettes

Poor diet may also increase the likelihood of developing gingivitis if you seldom consume vegetables or fruit that contains essential vitamins.

If you have misaligned teeth, then removing plaque from tight spaces is often difficult, leading to bacteria that infects soft tissues in the mouth.

HOW PERIODONTAL DISEASE IS DIAGNOSED

When you fail to seek assistance from a dentist for gingivitis as quickly as possible, the condition progresses to become periodontal disease.

Cosmetic dentists can find evidence of this infection with a visual examination using a probe.

In addition, X-ray images will show where there is infection inside the gum tissue.

A diagnosis of periodontitis is serious because it can lead to infection in ligaments and alveolar bone that causes loss of teeth.

DENTAL PROFESSIONALS MUST CLASSIFY PERIODONTITIS

There are seven levels of infection that family dentists look for to classify periodontal disease.

Gingivitis is the first classification and is treatable with removal of plaque during a thorough dental cleaning.

During this stage of periodontal disease, a patient often takes antibiotics to eliminate infection lurking in the oral tissues.

The highest level of infection from periodontitis involves seeing abscesses on gum tissue.

A dentist must also determine exactly where the infection is located by inspecting six areas around each tooth.

When 30% of these sites are infected, the condition is considered localized, but if more are infected, then the periodontal disease is diagnosed as generalized.

The last measurement of periodontitis infection is determining the amount of ligament loss.

HOW PERIODONTAL DISEASE IS TREATED

It is important for you to realize that pain and loose teeth are the last or most severe signs of periodontal disease …

… and family dentists must intervene immediately with invasive treatment to remove the infectious tissue.

The first treatment includes scaling the teeth with an instrument to remove calculus before debridement or removal of infected tissue.

When X-rays reveal calculus on the roots of teeth, you require a root planing.

For this procedure, you are anesthetized as the dentist inserts a curette to scrape infection from sensitive dental roots.

If you are seeking professional dental advice, it's time to call Shumway Dental Care.

Their Chandler dentists will ask you questions, examine you, and determine exactly what needs to be done to get you back to normal.

Call today for an appointment. Visit

SHUMWAY DENTAL CARE 3150 S Gilbert Rd Suite 1 Chandler, AZ (480)