Tag: Gum Disease

A Look At Gingivitis And Periodontal Disease

Gum disease, also known as gingivitis, is a serious condition that will normally result in tooth loss. With adults, gingivitis and periodontal disease are the most common forms of gum disease. To prevent both types of gum disease, you should always brush your teeth and remove as much plaque as possible. If you allow the plaque to build up, gum disease will normally be the result.

Gingivitis is known as inflammation in the tissues of the gums. If plaque and tartar build up along the gum line, the gums will eventually get swollen and irritated. Over time, the gums will get very tender and start to appear puffy. When you brush your teeth, youll notice that your gums have become very sore and they will start to bleed with little to no pressure. If you notice blood when brushing, chances are you have gingivitis. Anytime you brush your teeth or floss, there shouldnt be any sign of blood.

During this stage of gingivitis, there is no loss of bone structure. You can help to prevent gingivitis though, through flossing and brushing a few times a day. If you have gingivitis and you dont do something about it, it could lead to periodontal disease. Those who dont treat gingivitis or those who keep poor oral hygiene habits, will normally end up with periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease is a condition in which the bone and surrounding structures are destroyed. Even though this form of mouth disease cannot be reversed, you can put a stop to its progression by going to your dentist on a regular basis and brushing your teeth a few times day. Periodontal disease is a serious condition, which is why you should always try to stop the progression or even better – never let your gums and teeth get this bad.

If you dont do something about the progression of periodontal disease, the condition will continue to get worse. During the early stages of the disease, youll notice that your gums appear to be bright red, and very sore. This is due to the plaque building up below the gum line. When left untreated, the plaque and tartar that is below the gums will continue to eat at the teeth.

Keep in mind that plaque doesnt need to be visible or detected in order for periodontal disease to be diagnosed. To determine if you have periodontal disease, youll need to have your dentist examine you on a regular basis. Your dentist can perform tests on your gums and your teeth, to determine if you have it. If you do have periodontal disease, your dentist can tell you how to stop the progression and prevent things from getting any worse than they already are.

Both periodontal disease and gingivitis arent normally painful and both tend to progress in a slow fashion. Although you may not be aware that you have either of the two at first, the symptoms and signs will start to show in the later stages. Once the later stages have started to progress, youll normally end up losing the tooth.

To be on the safe side and protect your teeth and your gums, you should always go to the dentist for your regular checkups and cleaning. If you catch it in time, your dentist will be able to help you treat the earlier stages of gum disease. You dont want to wait until it is too late, as the more advanced stages of gum disease can completely destroy your teeth and gums – and there will be little to nothing that you can do about it.

A Look At Flossing

Along with brushing your teeth, you should also be flossing on a daily basis. Flossing will remove plaque and debris in areas that your toothbrush isnt able to reach. A buildup of plaque can lead to gum disease or tooth decay, which is why flossing is very important. If you floss immediately after brushing, youll notice that your gums and teeth will be much healthier.

When you look at dental floss, youll notice there are two types – nylon and single filament. You can get nylon either waxed or un-waxed, in several different flavors. Nylon floss is made up of several strands of nylon material, meaning that it can shred, tear, or snag between the teeth if it gets caught on sharp teeth. Even though the single filament floss is more expensive than nylon, it will slide easily between teeth, even tight areas and spaces. Unlike nylon, single filament is impossible to shred or tear.

No matter which type of floss you choose, as long you floss regularly, it will remove debris from your teeth and gums. If youve never tried flossing before, you will probably be amazed at just how much debris and food particles it can remove. Flossing is recommended by dentists everywhere, as it can reach places that even the smallest of toothbrushes cant. Food and debris will build up between your teeth, which makes dental flossing very important.

The main problem many people have against flossing is the fact that it can result in bleeding of the gums. Anytime you floss and get between your teeth and around your gums, the floss will rub against your gums, resulting in bleeding. Many people take this the wrong way, and immediately stop flossing, usually for good. Bleeding is very common, and should be expected with flossing.

When you brush your teeth, you miss a lot of food particles and debris that continues to build up in your mouth. No toothbrush is designed to get every area of your mouth, as all of them miss hard to reach places. With the areas missed by the toothbrush, the debris and plaque will continue to build up until they eventually result in a cavity or decay. To get this debris and plaque before it builds up into something more serious, youll need to floss.

If youve been afraid to try flossing due to the bleeding, you should really get over that fear and floss after you brush. To keep your teeth and gums healthy, youll to brush and floss your teeth. Regular checkups with your dentist will help as well, although it is up to you to continue your regular maintenance at home with flossing and brushing. If you floss on a daily basis – youll quickly realize just how clean your teeth and gums will be.

Abscessed Teeth

An abscess in the tooth refers to an infection that was caused by a pocket of pus residing in the tissue around the tooth. Abscesses are very serious conditions, and can lead to serious matters if they arent treated immediately. When the pulp of a tooth dies due to damage or decay, bacteria will begin to grow from the dead tissue that is left. This bacteria will eventually spread from the root of the dead tooth into the tissue that is below and create a pocket of pus – the abscess.

Gum disease is also a cause for a tooth becoming abscessed. Gum diseases causes the gums to pull back and away from teeth, leaving pockets behind. When one of the pockets becomes blocked, the bacteria can grow and spread, or get backed up. When this happens, an abscess will start to form under the surface of the gums and become apparent will swelling as it gets bigger and spreads.

Once the infection has started to spread, your jawbone may start to dissolve as it makes room for the swelling in the area that has been infected. Once the bone starts to dissolve, the pressure will be greatly reduced, although the infection will still be there. Even though you will get relief, the infection will get worse – and the pain will always come back. Once more of the bone has been dissolved, there will be nothing left to support the tooth, meaning that it will become loose and end up needing to be extracted.

The symptoms of an abscessed tooth are easy to see, as they include severe pain in the affected area, red or swollen gums, a bad taste in your mouth, swelling around the area or the jaw, and possibly a high fever. Pain is excruciating with an abscess, normally affecting the area in a bad way. No matter what you do, the pain seems to intensify.

Abscesses mostly occur with back teeth, although they can happen in the front as well. Once your tooth has become abscessed, your dentist wont immediately pull it. If a tooth that has abscessed is extracted once the infection is still present, it can quickly spread. Your dentist will instead prescribe you some antibiotics that can help to destroy the bacteria.

The dentist can also perform a root canal, in an attempt to remove dead or decayed tissue. Last but not least, he can also drill a hole in the tooth to give the infection a chance to drain and try to remove any dead pulp. The most common treatment with an abscess is to use antibiotics to kill the infection, then get the tooth removed. You should never let it get that bad – as an abscess is something that can destroy your jawbone.

Maintaining Healthy Gums

Your gums are practically cesspools for bacteria. It is extremely easy for your gums to come down with diseases that are quite unpleasant. These gum disease affect up to 80% of people, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. Imagine that many people, each ignoring their gums and reaping the consequences in the form of strange and horrible problems. This is an issue that can, and does lead to tooth loss. Dentists say that gum disease also leads to more serious health conditions, as it creates a pathway for viruses and bacteria to enter the body directly through the area that gets the most traffic the mouth.

So what is it that causes someone to get gum disease? The answer is that most people slowly let their gums fester. Chances are that the diseases have been working their evil quietly in their teeth for quite some time. This person has been getting accumulative effects of poor dental hygiene for many years now. Sometimes they may notice the illusion that their teeth are getting more prominent, or longer. This is called gum recession and it goes hand-in-hand with gum disease. It affects a huge amount of people, even if they brush and floss their teeth religiously.

If food buildup occurs enough, tartar forms. Tarter creates a perfect environment for bacteria to flourish and grow in, and some of the time brushing and flossing will do absolutely nothing to stop it from happening. Professional cleaning will usually get the job done, but many people only visit their dentist once every year. Therefore you should try to figure out home solutions to keep your teeth as clean as possible and prevent from building homes for the bacteria to live in and gather forces to invade your neighboring gums. It may sound impossible, but it can be done.

First of all you should try to eat a healthy diet. If you are eating a bunch of sugar and junk food, your teeths integrity will be compromised much faster, giving extra places for bacteria to roam. You should also brush and floss religiously if you havent already. While these things may not be enough to prevent tartar, they will still hold it off for a much longer time than if you hadnt done so. On top of these things, you should try out different products. Many types of special toothpaste are formulated to kill tartar. They work great, and are generally not too much more expensive than regular toothpaste.

On top of these things, you should probably go to the dentist more often than just when they send you reminder cards. 6 months is a good interval. Go in for a cleaning and an examination. The professional cleaning should get rid of all of the tartar that your own efforts have missed, and the examination will catch any cavities that could lead to tooth loss and gum disease.

Your teeth are a very important part of your life, since you use them to do so many things. If youve ever seen someone without any teeth try to eat, you should be plenty motivated to keep on top of things. So today, start making the move towards better oral hygiene. You will reap the benefits later in life when you have healthy gums and a mouth full of teeth.