When it comes to your smile, your teeth clearly steal the show. But when it comes to your health, gum disease is the biggest threat. It’s a threat not just to your teeth, but also to your heart, your brain, your joints, and, really, your entire body. Fortunately, preventive dentistry can help keep you from developing gum disease, treatment can eliminate it, often with minimally invasive treatments.
If you are looking to protect your teeth and your health by treating gum disease, please call (509) 927-2273 today for an appointment with a Spokane Valley dentist at Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics
Gum Disease Symptoms
Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, has few obvious symptoms at first. In fact, many people don’t notice or ignore early symptoms. Here are some others, ranked generally from early disease (gingivitis) to late (periodontitis):
- Red gums
- Swollen gums
- Bleeding gums
- Tender gums
- Food caught in teeth
- Tooth sensitivity
- Receding gums
- Loose or mobile teeth
- Tooth loss
Some people think that bleeding gums are normal and not a big deal. This isn’t true: your gums should be able to stand up to brushing, flossing, and eating without pain and without bleeding. Any amount of bleeding gums should be taken seriously. Make an appointment with your dentist immediately.
Gum Disease Treatment
During your visit, we will evaluate your gums and recommend the best treatment depending on the level of your disease. For early disease, we might just recommend changes in your oral hygiene. For more serious gum disease, we might recommend both changes in your home hygiene and more regular visits for professional cleaning.
However, if you have developed serious gum disease, we will recommend more targeted treatment, including laser gum treatment. This is the equivalent of root planing and scaling, where we clean out the area between your teeth and gums to eliminate bacteria and help your gums reattach.
Benefits of Laser Gum Treatment
One of the advanced procedures we offer at Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics is laser gum treatment. This procedure eliminates the need for blades as part of gum treatment, and can offer many benefits, including:
- Lower discomfort
- Less bleeding
- Faster healing
- Lower risk of recurring infection
- Less need for antibiotics
Because of these benefits, we believe laser gum treatment is a significant benefit for our patients. It helps us provide better results and a better treatment experience.
How It Impacts Your Health
Gum disease is a chronic infection. It’s like having a cut on your hand that doesn’t heal, but gets swollen, even consuming the flesh and exposing the bone. If you had an infection like this on your hand, you would realize how serious it is, but many people neglect their gums because it’s not as visible.
However, the impacts of gum disease can be far-reaching, contributing to your risk of:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease)
- Autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis
- Diabetes
- Pregnancy complications
- Cancer
How do these contribute to these health problems? There are many links. First, the bacteria can move directly through your bloodstream. They can enter your heart, causing infection, or accumulate in your arteries to create plaque that hardens them.
Gum disease also creates a permanently heightened immune state. This can lead to systemic inflammation that contributes to dementia, autoimmune, and other risks.
Treating gum disease can reduce your risks and help you live healthier and longer.
Prevent or Treat Your Gums Today
If you have noticed any of the symptoms of gum disease, it’s important to get treatment right away. Otherwise, preventive dentistry is a good option to protect you. Please call (509) 927-2273 today for an appointment with a Spokane Valley dentist at Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics.
