Are you having trouble looking forward to your Thanksgiving festivities because you’re embarrassed about your smile? Or because it has become too uncomfortable to eat due to tender gums or loose teeth? Gum disease can make it difficult to feel confident in your smile and complete everyday activities like talking, laughing, and eating. Don’t let this condition affect your smile—and health—this holiday season!
How Gum Disease Starts
Gum disease begins when bacterial plaque is left to harden into tartar on the teeth and along the gumline. Lingering bacteria infect the gum tissues, causing them to pull away. As the gums recede from your teeth, they create deeper pockets around the roots where more tartar and bacteria accumulate.
The Dangers of Gum Disease
If the infection is not removed from your mouth, it will continue to spread and cause inflammation and bleeding gums, destroy healthy bone, and lead to loose teeth and even tooth loss. Eventually, advanced stages of gum disease can cause irreversible damage to your gum tissues and bone while increasing your risk for systemic health complications. Gum disease has been linked to diabetes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Rejuvenate Your Smile with Gum Treatment
Comprehensive periodontal therapy can rejuvenate your smile and reduce your risk for systemic health problems and a poor immune system caused by chronic infection and inflammation. Based on the stage and severity of your gum disease, your dentist can provide scaling and root planing, gingivectomy, antibiotics, or osseous surgery.
The goal of each treatment is to remove bacteria from your mouth and reduce the depths of the pockets around teeth. For more advanced cases, treatment also involves trimming diseased tissues, repairing or replacing lost bone, and providing antibiotic therapy. Gum disease treatment ultimately restores the health of your oral structures and improves the function and aesthetics of your smile.
Schedule Your Consultation
If you have symptoms of gum disease, such as bleeding gums, chronic bad breath, or loose teeth, don’t wait to get treatment. Reach out to your local dentists, Dr. Robert W. Leedy, Dr. Nikki P. Green, Dr. Sara Chen, Dr. Albert Park, and Dr. Jaci Campo, in our office in Abilene, Texas to schedule your first appointment with us today!
