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Cottonwood Periodontal & Gum Health Dentists
Restoring Gum Health With Periodontal Care for Cottonwood Residents
Gum health is one of the foundations of oral health. When a patient has gum disease, it increases their risk of heart disease and other serious infections. Gum health is that important. Sadly, millions of Americans will suffer from gum disease brought about by poor oral hygiene. When that happens, medical intervention is necessary. The Cottonwood Periodontal & Gum Health dentists at Peak Family Dental Care can intervene and treat your gum problems before it is too late. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the symptoms, consequences, and treatments for periodontal disease.
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Symptoms of Gum Disease
It isn’t hard to figure out whether or not you have gum disease. Your gums will bleed while brushing. They will appear red and swollen. They will occasionally hurt. And your breath won’t be minty or fresh. While these are the overt symptoms of gum disease, the ones you can’t see right away are the worst. Your gums will begin to recede making it easier for your teeth to move around and loosen. Left unchecked, the corrosion will eventually make its way into your jawbone causing the bone itself to erode.
One of the biggest problems with gum disease is that it gets worse faster the worse it is. In other words, as your gums recede from around your teeth, they make tiny pockets between your teeth and your gums. These pockets make it easier for plaque to build up and this causes the decay to become more rapid. To put it bluntly, early intervention is a must. The sooner we can stop the vicious spiral, the better off your overall oral health, your gums, and the condition of your jawbone will be.
A Full Range of Treatment Options
While the aforementioned scenario may sound overly alarmist, gum disease is a serious health threat and it should be treated as such. Drs. Shanahan can treat the problem before it gets out of control, prevent serious damage, and correct damage that was caused by gum disease in the first place. We offer a full range of services that include:
At Peak Family Dental Care, we also offer sedation for your comfort and relaxation. Patients can choose nitrous oxide, oral sedatives, or intravenous (IV) sedation which can be administered by a local dental anesthesiologist.
Gum disease is characterized by several symptoms, but the early stages might not be obvious to the untrained eye.
Benefits of Proper Periodontal Care
By removing the plaque and the bacteria at the source, you are removing the cause of gum disease. You should notice that your gums feel better once they have healed from the procedure. The consequences of allowing the infection to build up can be quite nasty. Some of the consequences are not related to your oral health at all. Eliminating gum disease makes it easier to install dental implants. As the gum disease advances, it begins eroding the jaw bone. Additionally, when teeth are missing, the jaw will recede in those areas. The teeth will realign themselves creating major gaps between one tooth or another making it easier for plaque to develop. Your dentist will then have to go through the extra step of attempting to regrow enough of your jaw bone to support the dental implants. In addition to oral health, gum disease can impact your overall medical health in ways that may seem counterintuitive. This includes:
- Heart disease and heart attack – Gum disease increases your risk of infection everywhere, but your heart is one of the more likely candidates for infection. Studies have shown that those with gum disease are 270% more likely to get heart disease.
- Stroke – Studies have shown that those with gum disease are 300% more likely to have a stroke.
- Respiratory infection – Since your mouth is connected directly to your lungs, you can breathe in the bacteria from gum disease and infect your lungs.
Choose Peak Family Dental for Your Cottonwood Periodontal Care
Do bleeding, swollen, or tender gums keep you from smiling? If so, periodontal care can treat and reverse the condition, improving your overall oral health for many years to come. Peak Family Dental Care offers expert care to those with gum disease. We will eliminate the infection and the plaque where the infection resides. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.