Preserving Your Smile for Years to Come: Pointers for Preventing Periodontal Disease

Losing any of your teeth is something we all want to avoid if possible and in terms of potential dangers, nothing will take your teeth out faster than a serious case of periodontal or gum disease.

If you click here you can find some information on the sort of treatments available for preserving your smile, but your main priority should be to be as proactive as possible in trying to prevent periodontal disease in the first place.

Common problem

If you are unfortunate enough to have some sort of gum disease you are most certainly not alone, as a large percentage of American adults suffer from a varying number of related gum diseases.

The simplest form of gum problems is known as gingivitis, which is when your gums are inflamed and is classified as the mildest form of gum disease.

The symptoms of gingivitis include bleeding gums as well as signs that your gums have become red and swollen. Gingivitis is normally treatable and reversible provided you brush your teeth daily and floss regularly as well as visiting your dentist for professional cleaning and evaluation.

However, if you don’t heed the early warning signs and your gingivitis as allowed to progress untreated, it can lead to periodontitis.

Serious problems

When you are diagnosed as having periodontitis this is a serious problem and it is characterized by your gums pulling away from your teeth and an infection developing.

If this situation is not treated, your bones, gums and connective tissue that support the teeth are eventually destroyed and you will lose your teeth as a result of this.

Cause of gum disease

Understanding how you can get gum disease in the first place can help you to take the right steps to prevent any problems developing.

Your mouth is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and these bacteria combined with mucus and other debris are constantly working to form a sticky and colorless film on your teeth known as plaque.

Brushing and flossing regularly is one of the best ways of fighting against the possibility of plaque taking hold and causing gum disease. If plaque is allowed to build up it will then harden and form tartar, which can only be removed by professional cleaning and not by brushing alone.

Missing teeth

There are a number of consequences attached to having missing teeth in addition to the obvious aesthetic problem of having a smile with gaps.

In addition to your smile being affected, if you are missing enough teeth it can lead to the skin around your mouth failing to get the support it needs, which can result in your skin sagging.

You can also experience greater difficulty with chewing your food properly and even experience some speech problems as missing teeth can affect the way you talk.

Periodontal disease is definitely a condition you should try to avoid so treat your smile with the respect it deserves and do what you can to preserve your teeth and gums.

Henry Nolan became a dental hygienist almost 10 years ago. He raises important issues on dental care now and for the future in his articles which can be seen on a variety of health related sites.