Gum Disease: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment
The teeth are embedded in the gums. Also known as gingiva, the gums are formed from connective tissues that are covered with mucus membrane and attached to your teeth’s neck. The teeth erupt from the gum, and infections of the gum can be painful.
What is Gingivitis?
Lawn Dental Centre is the dentist near you if you reside in Chicago. Located at South Pulaski Road, lawn Dental Centre has experienced dentists to treat gum diseases effectively. Gingivitis or disease of the gums is a bacterial infection of the gums characterized by inflammation, bleeding, and bad breath. If left untreated, gingivitis might develop into a more severe gum disease called periodontitis.
Diseases of the gums are a common affair and can be experienced by most people. If left untreated, gum diseases might lead to the loss of multiple teeth. In more severe cases, the jawbones might be affected and might cause the formation of small gaps between the gums and the teeth.
Causes of Gum Disease
Poor oral hygiene gives way to gum diseases. Not brushing or flossing your teeth in the right manner might cause the formation of a thin, sticky layer of germs on the surface of gums, called biofilm. You might experience the feeling of getting your teeth and gums covered in slime as you wake up in the morning.
The formation of biofilm is a common phenomenon even if your brush or use mouthwashes regularly. The yellow-colored film needs to be removed regularly, or it might develop into plaque. The dental plaque provides thriving grounds for bacterial activity, releasing toxic substances that erode the teeth and gums.
Food items containing sugar are ideal for bacterial activities. Not visiting the dentist at regular intervals can be detrimental as regular visits would help in determining plaque, and the dentists might do the necessary treatment.
Risk Factors of Gum Disease
Maintaining regular good oral hygiene can be a definite way to avoid periodontal diseases. Brushing and rinsing the mouth with mouthwash twice every day can get rid of the plaque and debris. Visiting the dentist twice a year is also beneficial as a comprehensive dental examination can detect signs of gum diseases. The risk factors of gingivitis are:
- Diabetes
- Chewing or smoking tobacco
- Broken dental filling.
- Crooked teeth.
- Poorly fitting dental appliances as dentures or bridges.
- Genetic factors.
Symptoms of Gum Diseases
Most people are unaware that they suffer from gingivitis or periodontitis. You might also suffer from gum disease without visible symptoms. However, the most prominent symptoms of gum diseases are:
- Bleeding from the gums.
- Tender, swollen, or reddened gums.
- Pus between teeth and gums.
- Pain while chewing.
- Sensitive teeth.
- Bad breath that does not go even after brushing.
- Alteration in fitting of teeth while biting (malocclusion).
Diagnosis and Treatment of Gum Disease
A comprehensive dental examination can help to diagnose gum disease in Chicago. The dentists can probe for inflammations or bleeding gums. The pockets of your teeth are also measured. The average depth of pockets is between one to three milometers. Dental x-rays can also determine gingivitis.
A professional dental cleaning can be an excellent way to treat periodontal diseases. The dentist or hygienist removes the plaque and tartar to reduces the chances of bacterial activity. Another non-invasive treatment for preventing gum disease is scaling and root planning. The deep cleaning of scaling and root planning is done under local anesthesia. This cleaning process is applied to the enamel, and the gums are cleaned thoroughly. Such cleaning gets rid of the calculus.
Flap or pocket reduction surgery is performed to reduce the pockets’ size that is the thriving ground of disease-causing bacteria. Bone grafting or soft tissue grafting is also performed to reinforce the degenerated bones or tissues due to periodontal diseases.
When the bones supporting the teeth have been completely lost, the dentist might suggest guided tissue regeneration or a bone surgery that stimulates the bones’ further growth.
Visiting the Dentist
If you are from Chicago, you may try visiting Lawn Dental Centre to treat gum diseases. With over thirty-five years of experience, we are dedicated to alleviate discomfort and enhance smiles. Apart from comprehensive dental examination and treating gum diseases, we offer teeth whitening, dental braces, implants, and wisdom tooth extraction. Lawn Dental Clinic is a dental clinic with a caring heart. You may book an appointment and experience the difference.