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All about gum disease, gingivitis and periodontitis
If you are over 35 and American there is a greater than 75 percent chance you have some form of gum disease. Generally the first symptoms are swelling of the gums and gums that bleed easily, if left untreated you may lose your teeth. The fact is you must take care of your gums if you want to keep your teeth. At any one time, there a millions of bacteria moving around in our mouths. Some of these bacteria are harmless but others attack teeth and gums. Plaque is a colorless sticky film which contains the bacteria that cause gum disease. If this plaque is not removed it builds up on the teeth and eventually irritates the gums causing them to bleed. If plaque is left alone bone and other tissue are destroyed and the teeth become loose which may cause them to have to be removed. Recent polls suggest that more than half the adults questioned knew very little, if anything about gum disease. Additionally less than 40 percent regularly visit a dentist and yet gum disease is the major cause of adult tooth loss. Known as periodontal (around the tooth) disease, gum disease is bacterial growth combined with other factors that gradually destroy the tissue supporting and surrounding the teeth. Gum disease starts with plaque, this is constantly forming on your teeth and when it reaches excessive levels it can harden into tartar very quickly. Tartar can only be removed by professional cleaning. The two main stages of gum disease are gingivitis and periodontitis. As a rule periodontitis follows gingivitis but not all gingivitis will progress to periodontitis. Gingivitis normally starts with gums bleeding easily and becoming red and swollen generally when brushing. Bleeding is not always a symptom of gingivitis but it does point to an unhealthy mouth that should get attention. At this point there is no bone or tissue damage and the teeth are still firmly planted. Left untreated gingivitis can advance to periodontitis. This is when the gum starts to recede from the teeth forming pockets. Debris can get in to these small spaces and become infected and the body fighting these bacteria as the plaque spreads causes the bone and connective tissue holding the teeth in place to break down. When this happens there is no anchor holding the teeth and they become progressively looser resulting in tooth loss. Periodontal disease can go unnoticed as it may not be painful even in the later stages but there are some early warning signs. These include gums that bleed when they are being brushed, bad breath, a bad taste in the mouth and loose or shifting teeth. Gum disease may only be around certain teeth and you don’t notice any symptoms or it might be at the back of the mouth where you cannot see. Only a dental specialist can determine the progression of gum disease. There is some good news however; in the majority of cases gum disease is preventable. In fact you can actually reverse the early stages and prevent gum disease by simply brushing and flossing and getting your teeth cleaned professionally twice a year. Brushing your teeth is very important but it only removes plaque from the surfaces of the teeth that the brush can reach but flossing gets rid of plaque from under the gum line and in between the teeth. There are motorized toothbrushes available with smaller heads which may be more effective at removing plaque than a standard toothbrush these types of toothbrushes are often recommended by dentists for this reason. |
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This intel was contributed by linjet
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May, 2012
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