Gum Disease – More Than Just Gums

Your Mouth: A Picture of Health

Did you know that when a dentist looks at your mouth, they can tell a lot more than just how often you’re brushing? It’s true: your oral health is like a window into your lifestyle and habits. Dr. Case at Family Dental Health should know. We’ve seen mouths from all over Portland in our office!

If you’re not taking care of the rest of your body, your gums will give it away. Hormones, sickness, stress, diet, smoking, prescription medicine, and more can all affect your gum health, and that goes both ways. If you don’t take care of your gums, the consequences will stretch beyond just your mouth. Unhealthy gums can lead to an unhealthy heart, diabetes, pregnancy complications, memory problems, tooth decay, and more.

Your mouth is naturally good at washing away and fighting germs. But without proper oral hygiene, those bacteria can lead to gum disease. When it comes to your oral health, it’s more than just pearly white teeth you want. Healthy gums play an important role in your overall health.  Healthy gums protect not only your teeth and jawbone; they also prevent infection from entering the rest of your body.

What Is Gum Disease?

Gum disease is the inflammation of your gums caused by a buildup of too much food, bacteria, or other substances. You’ll know your gums are not in tiptop shape if they show any of these signs:

  • Redness or other discoloration
  • Pain or soreness
  • Bleeding during regular brushing or flossing
  • Gum lines pulling back from teeth
  • Chronic bad breath
  • Tooth loss

None of these conditions are desirable and left untreated, they can lead to further damage. The longer these symptoms are left untreated, the more detrimental they can become to your dental health. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, 20-30% of Americans have gum disease that puts them at risk of losing teeth.

How Can I Have Better Oral Health?

Prevention is the best medicine. Brush at least twice and floss once a day, and visit your dentist twice a year. Proper oral hygiene is simple, but if you’re not taking care of your teeth and gums, you can do long-term damage to your overall health. If your gums are in need of some TLC, a professional cleaning should do the trick. But if gum disease gets out of control, you may need more extensive gum disease treatment.

Let the team at Family Dental Health be your partners in health. Contact us today to take the first step toward a more vital tomorrow!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Sources

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/dental/art-20047475

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/health-perils-of-gum-disease

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/plaque-on-teeth

http://advancedsmiledentalcare.com/what-are-gums-trying-to-tell/

The post Gum Disease – More Than Just Gums appeared first on Family Dental Health.



from Family Dental Health https://fdhealth.com/gum-disease-more-than-just-gums/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Help! My Child is Terrified of the Dentist

Image
If you’re the parent of a young child, you know their brains are similar to sponges that soak up everything around them—especially in their first five years, which neuroscientists say is when they’ll do the most learning and developing in their entire life. At this formative time, your child may amaze you with what they notice: your facial expressions, the different tones of your voice, and your habits. If your habits include regular dental visits and an excellent oral hygiene routine, they’ll notice and want to emulate you. If you happen to feel anxious about your dental visits, or you groan when you’ve got to floss and brush, they may synchronize and feel your dread. This could lead to dental fears that stick with them for years—potentially a lifetime! Kids Can Be Courageous If you’re feeling guilty right now, go ahead and put that away as it won’t serve you or your little one. Everyone has some room for improvement, and Coastal Pediatric Dentistry® is here to help show you an
Read more

Going for the Gold?

Image
On the left is the older allow, on the right the new one that my lab has chosen to use The cost of a penny weight of pure gold is currently $79.53. The cost of a penny weight of pure palladium is $130.6. It used to be that palladium was added instead of gold to the precious metals often used for pfms, but now laboratories are finding that palladium is no longer affordable. The lab that I am using has just changed the formulation of the metal it's using to one that has more gold than palladium. I really do not mind, but metals with more gold are softer and often easier for a dentist to accidentally polish off delicate margins. It is important when polishing "higher gold" formulations to exert less hand pressure when performing the final polishing of the crown's margins. Other wise there should be no problem with this change. Traditionally labs have chosen alloys with higher gold percentages for optimal esthetics, since alloys with higher concentrations of
Read more

Tongue Ties: What Parents Need to Know

Image
For a long time, people just didn’t seem to know much about tongue ties. In the early years of my practice, few of my patients had ever heard of a tongue tie. When I pointed out that they or their children might be tongue tied, I was often the very first practitioner who’d mentioned it to them. When I told them that a tongue tie might actually be the root cause of their oral myofunctional issues, or even their sleep apnea , I’m sure that some of them thought I was crazy. But in the last few years, things have changed so much! Initially, there was a small increase in the number of patients who were contacting me specifically about tongue ties. Dentists and orthodontists also began reaching out more frequently to discuss the application of myofunctional therapy exercises to tongue tie treatment. But in the last year or so, that little bit of interest has become a surge of awareness. Tongue ties and their effects on health and craniofacial development are finally becoming mainstream.
Read more