Periodontist

Gum care is as important as caring for your teeth when you speak about oral health. Did you know your gums form a seal and protect the roots of your teeth and the supporting bone from dental infection? Yes, gums play a vital role in keeping food debris away from the supporting structure of your teeth. Hence inflammation or infection of these soft tissues can be a threat to your oral health. As per an estimate, about 80% of people in the United States suffer from some form of gum infection. In the absence of professional dental care, gum infection can go to an extent where teeth start to loosen and fall out. Routine and periodic dental visits can protect you from gum diseases and ensure your teeth have a long and healthy life. Do your gums bleed when you brush or floss or when you eat an apple? Have you been suffering from bad breath? Have your gums been receding? Meet our dentist and express your concerns at the earliest. Our periodontal care offered at Moreno Valley dental office can ensure that your gums are safe and free from all forms of dental infection. Call us today!

Gum disease - What and how?

Gums are the pink and soft layer of tissues that cover the supporting jawbone and form a tight seal at the neck of your teeth. As you may already know, our mouths are home to several bacteria. The bacteria form a layer of plaque over the teeth surface. Tarter will be removed from the surface and tooth through routine oral hygiene. The amount of plaque that remains on the teeth surface for long hardens to become tartar. When bacteria in tartar come in contact with the soft gum tissues, inflammation occurs. It is the beginning stage of gum disease. If left untreated, the problem may advance, and there may be loss of soft gum tissues. This advanced stage of gum disease is called periodontitis. The infection leads to breakage of the bond between teeth surface, and gums which results in the formation of gum pockets where food debris gets collected. The disease worsens deeper towards the supporting bone or teeth, eventually leading to teeth and bone loss. Therefore, it's essential to get proper oral care to ensure that infection is brought under control and cured.

Signs of Gum Disease

Gum disease occurs in two stages, specifically gingivitis and periodontitis. In the initial stage, gingivitis is inflamed, yet there are no teeth or bone loss of your valuable gum tissues. In the secondary stage, which is periodontitis, there is a loss of valuable gum tissues. Over a period, the patient may notice receding gums, which indicates the advanced stage of the gum disease. If gums are not treated in this stage, the teeth may start to loosen and fall out.

Following are some of the signs of Periodontal disease:

• Bad breath
• Swollen gums
• Bleeding gums
• Receding gums
• Loosened teeth

Treatment for Periodontal Disease

The treatment for periodontal disease depends on the amount of the infection. When your dental visit to our office with inflamed or infected gums, our dentist firstly makes a note of the symptoms and performs examination using a periodontal probe. Our dentist evaluates the outcome of the disease, and the treatment plan explained to you. Scaling and root planning are some of the common procedures we perform to remove tartar from the teeth surface. Through this procedure, the hard bacterial layer is scraped from above and below the gum-line. The gum pockets get cleaned, and the root surface of teeth is also cleared, and remove layers of bacteria. Our dentist uses an anti-bacterial agent to kill any remaining bacteria. After the treatment process, the patient may be advised to visit our practice for routine periodontal care to ensure that the infection is under check.