When it comes to protecting your oral health, a key factor includes paying attention to your gum tissue. It is quite easy for patients to become focused so strongly on the health of their teeth that periodontal health falls by the wayside. The good news is that by becoming familiar with periodontal disease and how to avoid it, you can easily maintain a smile that is completely healthy. Learn a few essential bits of information with an informative Q&A session.
Questions and Answers: Periodontal Disease
Question: How will I know whether I need to visit you for periodontal disease?
Answer: You might not. As a result, we encourage you to take your six-month preventive dental checkups and cleaning visits very seriously. When you allow us to monitor your health, we will be able to detect early signs of disease. On your own (because the disease is often silent, failing to produce apparent symptoms), you may overlook its occurrence.
Question: Why does it matter if I don’t catch periodontal problems immediately?
Answer: If it’s been a couple years since your last visit, for instance, and you have developed gingivitis (the first stage of periodontal disease), tartar has accumulated beneath your gumline. Your daily dental hygiene cannot remove the tartar. As a result, bacteria in plaque and tartar will continue to accumulate, inflame, and infect your gums. The disease will advance and may become incurable. When left untreated, severe damage will follow.
Question: What happens if you cannot cure the problem?
Answer: If we catch gingivitis, we can generally cure the problem. If it has time to advance into full blown periodontal disease, we can help you manage it and keep it under control. We will, however, not be able to clear it from your tissues. We may refer to you a trusted periodontist for additional therapy.