Over half of adults in the United States who are 30 or older have some form of gum disease. This all-too-common condition is a threat to your teeth, and if it’s left untreated, it might even contribute to heart disease and other health complications. At 333 Dental Care, we’ll diagnose problems with your gums as soon as possible and can offer treatment that will help protect your entire smile. You can schedule a checkup or a gum cleaning with us by contacting our office.
Gum Disease – Mangum, OK
Protect Your Gums, Protect Your Smile
Why Choose 333 Dental Care for Gum Disease Treatment?
- Local Dentist With More Than 20 Years of Dental Experience
- Identify and Treat Condition As Soon As Possible
- Emphasis on Patient Comfort
What is Gum Disease?
When bacteria enter your gum tissue, gum disease begins. The first stage is gingivitis. At this point, only the gums themselves are infected. It’s possible that the damage can be reversed with improved oral hygiene; that means brushing and flossing thoroughly twice a day and attending regular dental checkups and cleanings.
Eventually, the infection reaches the bone underneath the gum line, at which point gingivitis becomes periodontitis. Your gums will start to recede, exposing the roots of your teeth to the infection. Over time, the damage from gum disease could cause you to lose teeth altogether. Worse yet, there’s evidence to suggest that bacteria in your gums can enter the bloodstream and cause problems in your heart, brain and other body parts.
Diagnosing Gum Disease
When you have gingivitis, your gums may become inflamed (meaning they’ll look red and swollen). You might also notice some bleeding whenever you brush, floss or eat something hard. Once gum disease has reached the periodontitis stage, you might see that your teeth look longer than they did before, which is a sign that the gums are starting to recede. Pus could form between your teeth and gums, and you could develop bad breath that won’t go away. Your teeth might feel loose and might even fit together differently, which can cause pain whenever you chew.
Unfortunately, in many cases gum disease won’t show any symptoms until it’s become advanced. That’s why you should have Dr. Lively examine and clean your teeth at least twice a year; that makes it more likely that gum disease will be caught while it’s still in the gingivitis stage.
Is Gum Disease Treatable?
If gum disease becomes periodontitis, you’ll need more than just a regular cleaning to treat it. We have a couple of options for periodontal therapy:
Scaling and Root Planing
Together, these procedures are also known as “deep cleaning” and can help remove hard-to-reach plaque and tartar. During scaling, we’ll thoroughly clean above and below your gum line – all the way into the bottom of the pockets caused by gum recession – to get rid of any bacteria present. We’ll then move on to root planing, smoothing out the roots of the teeth so that they can reattach to the gums.