What Are the Health Consequences of Untreated Periodontal Disease?

 

Most patients visit our dentist in Flagstaff when they feel an ache, not knowing that the pain is how your body warns you that there is something wrong, and you could have avoided it by attending your preventive checkups.

We advise you to visit a dentist near you every six months to ensure that everything is in order. During the appointment, the dental professional will evaluate your teeth, gums, and other soft tissues like your cheeks and tongue; he or she also check your neck for any lumps and ask any questions you may have about dental care.

Periodontal Disease

Periodontal or gum disease doesn’t appear from one day to another. The first signs that your gums are irritated are redness, soreness, and bleeding when you brush or teeth. 

 

Gum disease is an infection in which the dental plaque infects the gums, hence the importance of brushing your teeth in the morning, after meals, and before bedtime. 

 

When you skip your dental brushing, bacteria and food particles remain and keep destroying the connective tissues that hold the teeth in their place. As the disease gets more severe, there is the destruction of the jawbone, the teeth get separated from the gums and start shifting. Once the shifting becomes too extreme, your dental professional might advise you to extract the dental pieces.

 

But there’s more to it than teeth shifting and falling. Keep in mind that your mouth has access to other parts of your body; therefore, bacteria can spread to your circulatory system and put your life at risk. 

 

If you made it this far, now you know why you should look for gum disease treatment near you before it’s too late. As we stated before, maintaining good oral care habits is the key to prevent oral infections, and your dental professional will help you along the way.

Other factors have an impact on gum disease, such as medical conditions like diabetes, and daily habits and choices, such as smoking or using tobacco in any of its forms. We recommend our patients to avoid smoking because it causes severe damage to your teeth and gums.

Gum Disease Treatment in Flagstaff

If you have periodontal disease or think you might have (maybe you have persistent bad breath or your gums bleed when you floss or brush your teeth), feel free to visit our dental clinic in Flagstaff.

Keep on reading to know that the treatment is.

The Procedure

In the early stages, a dental hygienist will perform a dental cleaning using a dental scaler to remove the plaque and tartar build-up from the tooth’s surfaces and beneath the gum line. If the infection is advanced, our periodontist will use a local anesthetic to numb the area, and perform root scaling and planing with special tools to remove the calculus under the gum line and smooth the surface of the roots.

The smooth surface will allow you to heal and keep bacteria away from getting trapped and doing more damage.

Over time, gums will attach once again to your teeth, and with good oral hygiene at home, your mouth will be in a healthy condition once again.

If you have any questions regarding periodontal disease and its consequences, don’t hesitate to contact us. We have a team of caring professionals that are looking forward to helping you achieve a healthy and beautiful smile.

This blog doesn’t intend to replace a consultation visit with a medical professional. It offers information regarding a dental topic. For diagnostic and treatment, contact your dentist at your earliest convenience.