Your gums are an essential part of your smile. They not only frame your smile, but help keep your teeth in place. Which is why periodontal disease can lead to not only discomfort, but the loss of your teeth. Our Dallas, TX holistic dental office provides treatment to help protect and manage your gum health, fighting the impact of periodontal disease.
The Risks of Poor Gum Health
When we don’t brush and floss properly, and have a diet high in sugar and starch, this can mean plaque and tartar buildup to coat your teeth. Over time, this can irritate and inflame the periodontal tissues to cause gingivitis and without treatment to reduce inflammation, you could develop periodontal disease. Other factors include a family history of periodontal issues, inflammatory illness, certain medications, and tobacco use. You could begin to experience sore, red, and bleeding gums, or see tissues recede to make teeth appear longer and uneven. Without treatment, the disease could reach the periodontitis stage, in which you risk the loss of your natural teeth. But we have a few tips for safeguarding your gum health!
Care at Home
At home, try to limit your consumption of sugar and starch, as this deprives the plaque-causing bacteria of a meal. Take time to brush twice a day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste, once in the morning and again at night. Before you brush that second time, take time to floss your teeth thoroughly, reaching what is beyond the reach of a toothbrush. These actions help control buildup until we can remove it at a six-month checkup and cleaning visit. You experience a lowered risk of gingivitis and periodontal disease. If you have high risk factors for the disease, we could also recommend professional cleanings to remove buildup every three to four months.
Deep Cleanings
If you have developed the warning signs of periodontal disease, we may recommend a deep cleaning to bring the disease into a more manageable state, so we can keep it under control with traditional cleanings and better oral hygiene habits moving forward. Much like a traditional cleaning, we use ultrasonic scaling technology and a manual pick to remove all buildup. But we also remove the buildup from the roots and beneath the gum line, the procedure is more involved and could take more than one visit. Administering a local anesthetic can keep you comfortable, and we will polish the teeth afterward to limit the ability of plaque and tartar to adhere to the surfaces of your smile before your next visit.
Schedule Your Preventive Appointment in Far North Dallas With Kozlow & Rowell!
Our team is ready to help safeguard the gums that frame your smile and keep them whole. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at your local Dallas, TX cosmetic dentists at (972) 458-2464.