Serious But Stoppable
Although gum disease is terribly pervasive, it's also preventable. Conservative
estimates report that up to 80% of people unknowingly have some amount
of chronic gum disease. What's worse is that this disease is responsible
for up to 70% of adult tooth loss. Part of the problem is that the early
signs of gum disease are both silent and serious, requiring a dentist's
trained eye to detect, treat, and arrest the tell-tale gum inflammation
and infection. However, once arrested, you can prevent gum disease from
recurring simply by developing healthy hygiene habits.
Bacteria, Bad Choices, & Bad Genes
Several factors contribute to periodontal disease: plaque build-up, heredity,
and lifestyle choices. By far the most common and controllable factor,
however, is bacterial plaque-- the sticky, colorless film produced by
normal oral bacteria. Unhindered, they release toxins that break down
the natural fibers holding your gums to your teeth, allowing even more
bacteria and toxins to invade. Over time, this process can permanently
damage or destroy the affected tooth, tooth root, and even the jawbone!
Further, plaque deposits quickly harden into calculus or tartar-- a rough,
porous, gum-irritating substance that brushing will not remove.
Besides poor oral health habits, your poor lifestyle choices can affect
your body's ability to fight infection or increase irritation in the gum
tissue area. Poor nutrition, poorly managed stress, leukemia, AIDS, and
diabetes all reduce your body's natural ability to ward off periodontal
disease. Smoking and chewing tobacco greatly irritate the gum tissue,
setting it up for disease. And finally, some people are simply born with
a low resistance to gum disease. However, all of this explains why we
carefully check for the warning signs at every visit: red, swollen, tender,
or bleeding gums; gums pulling away from teeth; loose or separating teeth;
pus between the gum and tooth; persistent bad breath; bite changes; and/or
a change in the fit of partial dentures. These symptoms are overlooked
by most people, making regular dental exams even more important.
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