Periodontics is the care and treatment of the parts of your mouth that surround your teeth. This primarily includes your gum tissue.
Proper care of your gums is not just a good idea; it is absolutely vital to the health of your teeth and of your entire body. In fact, gum disease — or periodontitis — is the number one cause of tooth loss. Periodontal care prevents that.
What Is Gum Disease?
Gum disease all starts with a bacterial biofilm called plaque. Plaque is the reason we brush and floss our teeth regularly. Proper hygiene prevents the bacteria from building up too much.
If plaque is allowed to spread, it will start to irritate the edges of your gum tissue, causing slight soreness, redness, minor bleeding, and often chronic bad breath. This condition is the first stage of gum disease: gingivitis.
Gingivitis is both minor and reversible. A thorough dental cleaning by a professional dental hygienist can remove hard-to-reach plaque and clean out places where that plaque has hardened into tartar. Along with continued home hygiene, this gives the gums a chance to heal from the irritation and return to full health.
However, if gingivitis is left untreated, it can progress into stage two: periodontitis.
The symptoms of periodontitis are much more severe. The pain and swelling of the gum tissue will increase, as will bleeding and bad breath. During advanced gum disease, the gum tissue will also begin to recede away from the source of the irritation. This causes teeth to become loose in their sockets. Without periodontics treatment, they will eventually fall out.
Periodontal Cleaning at Cedar View Dental
Prevention is the number one way to keep any of this from happening to your teeth. That’s one of the many reasons that we recommend coming in for a cleaning and a checkup at least twice a year. When you join our dental family at Cedar View, we make sure to keep an eye on the health of your gums so that we can catch any problems before they get started.
If you have already seen any of the signs or symptoms listed above, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will gladly schedule you an appointment to get a thorough cleaning as soon as possible. The sooner we start treating gum disease, the better chance we’ll have of completely healing your mouth.
Dental Implants
Already lost a tooth due to advanced periodontitis? Then dental implants may just be the service you’re looking for.
Implants are one of the most popular ways to replace a missing tooth. This is because it replaces the whole tooth from root to cap, rather than just the crown. There are a number of amazing benefits to dental implant treatment. Check out our implants page to learn more.
Need Periodontics? Contact Us Today
Whether you need immediate periodontal treatment or are interested in preventative cleanings, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re excited to have you join our dental family!