Gum Disease
Seniors Battle Gum Disease
Older adults can have teeth that last a lifetime if they took good care of their teeth and gums during the youth and adulthood. There is no time in life when you can relax about your oral care needs. Seniors can encounter special dental needs such as dentures, complications from the medications they take and changes in their mouth.
Types of Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is another name for advanced gum disease. It starts out as gingivitis, which can then develop into a more serious oral problem if nothing is done about it. The key is to make oral hygiene a top priority. Brush and floss your teeth regularly and eat a diet that promotes strong healthy teeth, bones and gums. Visit your dentist at least twice a year for a routine exam and cleanings. If you notice any bleeding, inflammation, soreness or redness of the gums in between dental visits then schedule one right away and don¿t wait. This also goes for sensitive and loose teeth.
Pregnancy and Dental Health
Becoming pregnant is a wonderful state of being that causes a great deal of changes in the body. There is an old wives tale that when it comes to pregnancy there is, ¿A tooth for every child.¿ While this is not exactly the truth, women will experience changes in their teeth and gums when they become pregnant and as they go through the different trimesters of their pregnancy.
Understanding Advanced Gum Disease So We Can Heal and Then Prevent
Any dentist will tell you that the goal of dentistry is to educate the patient so that everyone can have a healthy mouth. Good dental hygiene is essential for preventing advanced gum disease (periodontal disease). Periodontal disease is also referred to as pyorrhea. Periodontal disease is where there is infection that began in the gingival tissue (your gum line) and then due to nontreatment it spread to under the gums and then into the surrounding bone structure that surrounds the tooth.
Defining Gum Disease
Gum disease is often thought to be a problem that only the elderly suffer from. This is not the case. Gum disease can strike people of any age. Contrary to popular belief, gum disease is not always a result of not taking proper care of the teeth and gums. In the United States it is the presence of gum disease, and not the process of aging that leads to the loss of one or more teeth. Let us take a closer look at gum disease.
Signs and Symptoms of Gum Disease
It is important to educate yourself about what proper oral hygiene entails in order to prevent gum disease from starting in the first place. Dental professionals believe that gum disease is preventable, except in the cases where a person has a genetic susceptibility to develop it. Gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss in adults and therefore it is something that should not be ignored by anyone.
Scaling and Root Planing
This is a common form of treatment for gum disease. Scaling is the removal of calculus, also called tartar as well as plaque. Root planing is the removal of any calculus from irregular tooth surfaces and also it smoothes our root surface irregularities.
Scaling and root planing removes the irritants that can cause gum disease. If someone is in the early stages of gum disease, scaling and root planing may be the only treatment necessary.
The Real Threat Behind Periodontal Disease
It is apparent that periodontal disease threatens our teeth, because the logic is easy to follow. The threat that lies hidden beneath the understanding of what most of us see on the surface, is that periodontal disease also threatens our health in ways other than what is contained in our oral cavity. The threat is especially true for the elderly, pregnant women, unborn babies, and also the chronically ill. The American Academy of Periodontology takes this threat seriously and wants all of us to do the same. They have been striving to educate the public about the threat of periodontal disease since July of 1998.
The Basics of Optimum Dental Health
Gum disease is often thought of as an oral disease of neglect. If you do not treat your teeth and gums well and give them what they need then they will break down and develop a multitude of problems. In this way, your teeth and gums are no different than the rest of the human body.
The basics of optimum dental health in order to not have to worry about gum disease in the future are really quite simple. It is important to brush and floss the teeth on a regular basis and to get enough fluoride to strengthen the teeth and fight cavities from developing. It is also essential to eat a healthy diet and to receive regular dental care from a qualified dental professional. This includes regular dental exams and cleanings.