How Can Gum Disease Affect Your Health?

If you have been diagnosed with gum disease, you may have many questions and concerns surrounding your future health, such as these:

• What other medical problems could this cause in the future?

• Is gum disease curable?

• How much will it cost to treat gum disease?

According to recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), half of Americans aged 30 or older have periodontitis, the more advanced form of periodontal disease (also known as gum disease). This equals about 64.7 million Americans.

“Researchers have discovered new reasons to brush and floss. A healthy mouth may help you ward off medical disorders. The flip side? An unhealthy mouth, especially if you have gum disease, may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes and preterm labor.”

– Colgate Professionals

How Will Gum Disease Affect My Health?

There are several ways in which gum disease can affect your health. Some of the most common medical conditions include:

• Cancer

• Diabetes

• Dementia

• Premature birth and low birth weight during pregnancy

• Stroke

Can Gum Disease Be Cured?

Early stages of gum disease can be cured with treatment and good at-home dental care, although you will always be at higher risk of gum disease returning in the future. More advanced stages of gum disease cannot be reversed, but they can be maintained with proper treatment and care by our office.

Treatment Options

Scaling and Root Planing

We may recommend scaling and root planing to clean tartar from above and below your gums and smooth out rough surfaces of your tooth roots. This is recommended when your teeth become surrounded by deep pockets that are difficult to clean due to the disease. The cost is about $80 per quadrant.

Medication

After your scaling and root planing, we may use the following medications individually or in combination with each other to control bacteria and shrink periodontal pockets.

• Antiseptic chip

• Antibiotic microspheres

• Antibiotic gel

• Additional medications may be recommended after scaling and root planing to promote healing. These include:

• Enzyme suppressants

• Oral antibiotics

Finally, we may recommend a prescription mouthwash to use at home when you brush and floss your teeth each day.

Periodontal Maintenance

You may have gotten cleanings at the dentist before, but periodontal maintenance is a little different. Periodontal maintenance focuses on both the exposed part of your tooth and the area underneath the gum line, whereas regular dental cleanings only clean above the gum line.

Graft Surgery

If your gums are not doing a great job of protecting the roots of your teeth, graft surgery can be used. This surgery takes gum tissue from the roof of your mouth and uses it to make a gum graft that essentially covers exposed roots of your teeth. It sounds worse than it is!

Flap Surgery

Also known as pocket reduction, flap surgery is the process of folding back the gum tissue to remove infectious bacteria and smooth out areas of damaged bone. This allows your gum tissue to reattach to healthy bone.

Can Gum Disease Be Treated at Home?

Home remedies have become a popular concept for treating medical and dental health issues these days, but natural remedies should not be your sole treatment method for treating gum disease. There are some natural home remedies you can try – in addition to your treatment plan through our office – to promote better dental health and prevent worsening of the disease.

You can try to use some of the following home remedies for gum disease:

• Drink green tea for the antioxidants

• Rinse your mouth with warm saltwater to soothe your mouth

• Dilute baking soda in water and use to brush your teeth and gumline; it will help soothe the irritated gum tissue

• Use oil pulling to help reduce bacteria that causes gum disease

• Be consistent with daily brushing and flossing habits