Have you recently begun to notice your gums bleed during brushing? Perhaps they look a bit swollen and puffy?

These symptoms can be quite subtle and easy to ignore, especially if your teeth look healthy, strong and white.

But here is why you need to sit up and take notice, why you must take urgent action before it’s too late.

What Do These Symptoms Mean?

All of these symptoms indicate your gums are unhealthy even though your teeth may be health. Although it’s possible to brush your gums too hard, which can cause gum recession, it’s more likely they have become infected.

Unfortunately, a condition called periodontal disease is extremely common and may cause tooth loss even if your teeth are perfectly healthy and strong, showing no signs of tooth decay and infection.

It’s estimated around half the adult population will develop some form of periodontal disease at some stage during their lifetime. Often the very early signs of this disease are easily ignored.

What Is Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection that is most commonly due to poor oral hygiene. Your mouth naturally contains lots of different strains of bacteria. Problems can arise if they aren’t regularly removed through brushing and flossing.

If you fail to brush and floss regularly, the bacteria in your mouth will quickly build up. As they multiply, these bacteria produce toxins which will begin to infect your gums. Your body’s response is to fight the infection. This causes inflammation and is why your gums will become puffy and red, as well as bleeding frequently.

How Can Periodontal Disease Cause Tooth Loss?

Healthy gums are essential if you want strong, stable and healthy teeth. This is because your gums provide support for your teeth. When they are strong and healthy, they fit tightly around your teeth preventing bacteria from getting into your gums.

When you have periodontal disease, this gradually destroys your gums, eroding the support for your teeth. In addition to your gums, there are ligaments attaching your teeth to their sockets in your jawbone. As periodontal disease worsens, it will begin to destroy these ligaments so your teeth will become loose.

In advanced periodontal disease, the sockets surrounding your teeth will also be destroyed as this disease can cause bone loss. If you don’t want to lose teeth, it’s essential to seek specialized dental care if you think you have the symptoms of periodontal disease.

Who to See for Periodontal Treatment

You can go and see your general dentist who will be able to diagnose periodontal disease. However, it’s far better to see a dental specialist called a periodontist.

Unlike your general dentist, a periodontist has completed several years’ advanced training and is able to provide the very best and most sophisticated treatments for periodontal disease.

You don’t need to get a referral from your general dentist. You can simply contact a top rated periodontist such as Dr. Navid Rahmani of Contemporary Periodontics & Implant Surgery for a periodontal evaluation. Or any other top rated periodontist in your area.

How Is Periodontal Disease Treated?

One of the most effective treatments for periodontal disease is scaling and root planning.

Just like a normal cleaning with your hygienist, this treatment will scale your teeth, removing hardened plaque which is a substance called calculus or tartar. Yet, as gum disease can expose your tooth roots, these are also scaled.

In a normal hygiene treatment your teeth would be polished but with scaling and root planning your exposed tooth roots are smoothed or planed. This is because the presence of periodontal disease can cause these surfaces to become rougher and more able to harbor bacteria. Smoothing or planning them will remove even more bacteria. It’s harder for bacteria to adhere to a smooth, clean surface.

Laser Dentistry

A top periodontist often combines this treatment with laser dentistry. Particularly if your gums have significantly receded and have caused deep pockets. These pockets form in between your gums and your teeth.

They are also called periodontal pockets. Periodontal pockets also harbor bacteria, but laser dentistry is an extremely effective way to treat them.

Using a dental laser, your top rated periodontist can precisely remove any tissues that are so badly damaged they cannot heal. Additionally, the energy of the laser helps to destroy even more bacteria.

It is a very gentle and comfortable treatment compared to traditional gum treatments that made use of a scalpel to remove diseased tissues. Afterwards your gums should gradually become healthier and stronger, and abler to fight infection.

As they recover, they should begin to fit more snugly around your teeth, although, most gum recessions may need to be treated in a different way.

Sometimes treatments such as scaling and root planning will need to be carried out on a regular basis as part of your periodontal maintenance plan. If this is the case, it’s extremely important to stick to this plan as it will help you to maintain healthy gums. Hopefully you can retain your natural teeth.

Repairing Tissues Damaged by Gum Disease

This is where seeing a periodontist can be extremely useful. They will be able to provide the most sophisticated treatments to help repair damaged tissues. These tissues include your gums and the bone surrounding your teeth. An experienced periodontist can use advanced gum grafting techniques, while bone grafting procedures can restore lost bone.

Periodontal disease is an extremely serious condition and if you think you have any symptoms then it’s best to seek professional dental care as soon as you can. Acting now could help prevent tooth loss and you’ll find a top rated periodontist will work extremely hard to save your natural teeth.