Treating Periodontal disease

Periodontal disease occurs when the gums or other bone around the tooth are in an advanced gingivitis state. The gums become infected with mucus, food particles, bacteria and accumulated plaque. The gums swell to the point that more plaque and food gets trapped in the pockets. The teeth will loosen and eventually fall out.

Periodontal disease is a major cause of tooth loss, according to Central Phoenix dentist. Even though periodontal disease is an infection of the gums, the gums are what hold the teeth in, and if the gums get weak the teeth will fall out. The American Dental Association has estimated that fifty percent of people over the age of 18 have an early form of periodontal disease. Even a perfect tooth with no decay can be lost if the gums are infected. Adults over the age of 40 are particularly at risk, but children can also get it.

Periodontal disease can be very painful. If the disease is left untreated the gums will be red, swollen, and ooze pus. The sufferer will swallow the pus continually. Bad breath is a very common effect of periodontal disease. Unfortunately, some dentists ignore the signs of early periodontal disease and do not give the treatment necessary to cure it. You can go to your regular dental checkups and if you dentist is negligent he may never mention to you that you have the disease.

Neglect is the major cause of periodontal disease. Neglect from a lazy dentist and you neglecting your own mouth. Neglecting to brush your teeth at least twice a day and

floss between the teeth daily can result in periodontal disease. Neglecting to go to the dentist for cleanings, checkups and x-rays at least twice a year is also a factor. Research indicates that the risk factors of developing periodontal disease are smoking, oral hygiene, age, diabetes and bacteria. Some people have a genetic disposition to get the disease.

The first sign that a person has periodontal disease is bleeding gums when brushing or flossing. Eventually the gums will get swollen and inflamed. There will be pain and the teeth will get loose. Do not ignore these signs, go to your dentist.

You can not get rid of periodontal disease by using a special mouth rinse or toothpaste, despite what advertisers want you to believe. Sometimes advertisers will mislead people into believing that vitamins, mouthwashes or a special toothpaste can get rid of bleeding gums or bad breath. They will only mask the problem. If you have bad breath or bleeding gums you need to be seen by a dentist.

A good dentist will be able to diagnose periodontal disease and how progressive it is by using a perio probe calibrated to millimeters. He will measure the distance the probe can

go down between the tooth and the gum of each and every tooth. He will record the numbers on a chart and tell you if you need periodontal therapy. Dentists often cut

corners on dental exams and do not use a perio probe to diagnose this disease. If your dentist has not done this, you should definitely question him and insist a more thorough exam or switch to another dentist.

Periodontal therapy is done by a dentist and a dental hygienist. You will be scheduled for one or more intensive teeth cleanings called deep scaling. The hygienist will scrape all of the built up plaque and tartar that has accumulated down below the gum line. You have to get rid of the plaque so that your gums can get healthy again. The only way is scraping it off. Sometimes there is a lot of bone loss and periodontal surgery will need to be done to tighten up the gums around the roots or the tooth with sutures.

This procedure is painless when given a local anesthetic and is very successful.