Beverly Hills Gum Disease Treatment
Healthy gums are an integral part of a smile. You can have sparkling white and perfectly aligned teeth, but if gum disease is present, the stability and strength of your smile are at risk. At Perio Artist, we protect your teeth with quality periodontal disease treatment in Beverly Hills. Patients who exhibit signs of gingivitis or mild to moderate periodontitis receive comprehensive care from our periodontal team. With over 20 years of experience and advanced training, Dr. Raschkovsky is recognized as a leading treatment provider for periodontal disease in Beverly Hills.
What is Periodontal Disease?
Seeking periodontal treatment is unavoidable once the health of your gums and the jawbone that anchors your teeth are at risk. Thus, it is imperative to practice proper oral hygiene in order to maintain and conserve your teeth. Receding gum lines are the result of unhealthy gums, eventually deteriorating the bone that supports your teeth and causing your gums to redden and to swell. As a result, the loss of the bone causes visible teeth movement and can lead teeth to fall out. Without receiving the periodontal treatment necessary to fix your smile, you will gradually impair your ability to speak and to chew certain foods.
Once your gum becomes continuously infected, the foundations of your teeth are compromised and periodontal disease is diagnosed. Most problems that arise are the result of inflamed ulcerations caused by the buildup of plaque. The two distinguished categories of periodontal disease are defined as gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis, the less severe disease, always precedes periodontitis but may continue without escalating into periodontitis.
If you are genetically susceptible to developing gingivitis and are noticing red, swollen gums that are easily irritated, chances are that you have the disease. Gingivitis develops from dental plaque, which consists of food particles mixed with bacteria that stick to teeth and attach below the gum line. It is essential that you not only brush and floss your teeth daily, but that you contact your dentist if you notice that gums are inflamed and are bleeding easily. Even after brushing your teeth, the plaque build up resumes, irritating your gums and gradually causing your teeth to separate from your gums. When ignored, gingivitis can cause noticeable spaces between the teeth and the gums.
Finally, if gingivitis does in fact progress into periodontitis, the alveolar, or supporting bone, between your gum and teeth gradually disintegrates. As teeth lose their anchor, they start to fall out, causing unfavorable changes in your appearance that may be prevented by continual proper oral care. Since periodontitis often exhibits no visible symptoms and may not cause physical pain until much later, it is important that the disease is detected at an early stage and treated immediately. In fact, an average of 4 out of 5 of those affected report no symptoms. Nonetheless, periodontal disease remains to be a prevalent problem, affecting 80% of Americans by age 45.
The Mouth-Body Connection
Periodontal disease can have harmful effects exceeding those contained in just the mouth. It has been concluded that diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis can all develop from the disease. Since the bacteria located in the gum tissue and below the gum line can permeate throughout the body, such chronic health issues arise. Consequently, stressing the effectiveness of upholding oral hygiene to both prevent and to treat periodontal disease is even more important. Besides the prevention of bone loss caused by periodontal disease, many serious conditions can arise from lack of dental attention given to your gums and teeth.
Periodontal Disease & Tobacco
Besides the development of cancer, lung disease, and heart disease, tobacco has now been proven to have a direct connection with periodontal disease. Even smokeless tobacco is now being correlated to the progression of oral cancer. Tobacco usage prompts more distinguished symptoms in those affected by periodontal disease, causing a higher production of calculus formation on teeth. As a result, deeper spaces are created between teeth and gums, and the bones and fibers that anchor the teeth are more severely weakened.
Besides their effects on the development of periodontal disease, both nicotine and tar are known to hinder the effectiveness of receiving treatment and undergoing a healthy recovery.
Such complications that result from continuous tobacco usage include:
Lung and heart disease, cancer, mouth sores, a receding gum line, the loss of teeth, foul breath, tooth staining, and less effectiveness of periodontal treatment and dental implants.
To avoid obtaining any of these problems, dentists and doctors alike advise the immediate discontinue of using tobacco products.
Diabetes & Oral Health
If you are suffering from diabetes, it is important to control your condition in a way that is beneficial to both your current health problems and your chances of developing periodontal disease. Because those diagnosed with diabetes are more prone to forming oral bacterial infections, their ability to keep their diabetes at a controlled level may be threatened. Diabetes complicates the treatment associated with periodontal disease, as well as causes the symptoms of periodontal disease to appear more acute. Still, if properly controlled, those affected by diabetes have less of a chance of developing cavities.
Gum disease can greatly be prevented by the continual removal of plaque from gums and teeth, which includes daily brushing and flossing. Regular visits to the dentist to receive a cleaning and check for periodontal disease are essential. It is important to report any medical history to your dentist. As an extra measure to prevent periodontal disease, maintaining blood sugar levels has proven effective.
Women & Periodontal Health
The fluctuation of hormone levels present during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause influence the tissues found in a woman’s body. So, it is important to be aware that during these periods of hormonal changes, the risk of developing periodontal disease is heightened and special attention should be attributed to maintaining proper oral care.
Puberty
The greater manufacture of sex hormones throughout puberty heighten sensitivity and tenderness felt in the gums as well as cause an increase in irritation felt from the buildup of plaque and food particles. Swollen or red gums are a clear indication of such causes, and it is important to consult your dentist if these symptoms are observed.
Menstruation
Also, menstruation maintains a direct correlation between the swelling and redness of gums. Gums may start to bleed and sores may develop along the insides of the cheek. Once the period has started, however, these symptoms begin to diminish as the amount of sex hormones present begins to decline.
Pregnancy
Between the 2nd to 8th months of pregnancy, your gums may appear red and swollen or may become tender and start bleeding. Aside from these symptoms, you may begin to notice the formation of lumps that usually display minimal pain and are not cancerous. Though the lumps, which develop as a response to irritants in and around the mouth, generally disintegrate after childbirth, professional attention and removal may be necessary.
Thus, it is important to maintain periodontal care throughout pregnancy as any infections acquired may risk the health of the baby.
Maintaining healthy gums and proper oral care both at home and with regular dental visits are essential in avoiding the development of such periodontic infections.
Oral Contraceptives
Oral contraceptives, or synthetic hormones, can cause swelling and tenderness of the gums.
In order to hinder the diminishing of effectiveness of such contraceptives, it is important to inform your dentist or physician of any prescription medication or oral contraceptives that you are using. In this way, you are assisting in the prevention of possible negative drug interactions.
Menopause
During and after menopause, hormonal changes can often alter both the appearance and feeling of the mouth. Such symptoms of a painful, burning sensation may occur in the gums upon eating foods that contain salt or pepper, or are particularly sour.
To avoid these symptoms, it is important to uphold oral care both at home and with regular dental visits and cleanings. If the pain fails to cease, saliva substitutes may be necessary to add moisture back into the mouth.
Periodontal Disease and Osteoporosis
Elderly patients, particularly women, are prone to the development of osteoporosis. As women undergo menopause, the level of estrogen present in their bodies significantly drops. Similarly, as men lose testosterone, osteoporosis is likely to occur. The disease, which causes bones to thin and eventually lose density, forms when there is a deficiency in bone development or an excess absorption of old bone tissue. Osteoporosis causes its victims to attribute extra attention in daily encounters, since they experience higher levels of risk at bone fractures caused by injury.
Like osteoporosis, periodontal disease can cause the loss of bone tissue. Inflammation resulting from periodontal disease significantly weakens bones, leading to low mineral bone disease, and, eventually, the development of osteoporosis. Since there is a direct relationship between the two diseases and their symptoms, much attention has been attributed to a possible correlation. It has been discovered that, in women, the loss of bone tissue in the mouth and jaw due to periodontal disease causes teeth to fall out. Recent research has demonstrated that, by carefully maintaining periodontal disease, patients with osteoporosis can reduce the incidence of losing teeth. Finally, it was concluded that women who had undergone menopause and simultaneously suffered from osteoporosis have a 86% higher chance of forming periodontal disease.
Because estrogen deficiency is known to stimulate the loss of bones in the mouth and body, it corresponds osteoporosis with periodontal disease. Moreover, estrogen deficiency serves as a catalyst to the loss in fibers and tissues that anchor teeth in position and prevent them from falling out.
Thus, if a patient has osteoporosis, it is essential for them to take special care and protection against the development of periodontal disease in order to preserve the teeth and various bones in the mouth.
Preventing Gum Disease
75% of adults over 35 have experienced a loss of teeth attributed to gum disease. To lower the risk of developing both cavities and periodontal disease, it is important that a patient engages in daily brushing and flossing. Frequent dental visits and cleanings are also encouraged. Nonetheless, periodontal disease persists to develop even in patients who engage in proper oral care and seeking immediate professional care is strongly advised to hinder its advancement.
Additionally, tobacco, high levels of stress, the clenching and grinding of teeth, various medications, and poor diet are known to cause damage to gums.
Contact Our Beverly Hills periodontal Disease Specialist
Please contact our Beverly Hills periodontal office for more information on gum disease care, or to schedule an appointment here at our practice. Remember, early evaluation and treatment for periodontal issues are the keys to keeping your gums as healthy as possible!
