Almost half of all adults age 30 and above in the United States have some type of gum disease, also called periodontal disease. This condition develops when bacteria grow in your mouth, feeding on the sugars from the food you eat and forming a sticky plaque that causes tissue damage and tooth decay. It can ultimately destroy the tissues around your teeth and cause the teeth to fall out.
Dr. Woo Young Lee, Dr. Sean Kim, and our team of professionals at Bay Dental Group are periodontics specialists who can identify the early signs of gum disease (called gingivitis) and treat it to help ward off more serious oral health issues.
What are the four signs of early gum disease?
There are four specific issues that indicate you have early gum disease. If you notice any of the following, you should come in and see us for a professional evaluation:
- Swollen, red, bleeding, or tender gums
- Receding gum line
- Deep pockets between your teeth and gums
- Loose or shifting permanent teeth
At your consultation with our team, we talk to you about your symptoms and look at the condition of your overall oral health. We then develop a customized plan to help you get your teeth and gums healthy again.
As part of your treatment plan, we educate you on how to maintain good oral health at home, and we teach you the specific steps you need to do to prevent the problem from developing again.
How can I prevent gum disease?
Plaque, food particles between your teeth, and bacteria in your mouth all play a role in the development of gum disease. To avoid gum disease, we recommend that you practice a consistently high standard of dental care, which includes brushing your teeth at least twice a day, flossing daily, and using antibacterial mouthwash.
We also encourage healthy lifestyle practices, such as eating a well-balanced diet, not smoking or chewing tobacco, and reducing your stress level to keep your immune system strong. A healthy lifestyle leads to healthy teeth and gums.
To make your oral hygiene efforts stay at peak performance levels, you should schedule routine visits with us at Bay Dental Group every six months. We clean your teeth, observe the condition of all aspects of your oral health, and take X-rays, if necessary. That way, we can monitor any changes we might see, catching them early enough to stop the development of more serious dental issues.
What if I already have gum disease?
If you’re showing signs of early gum disease, we offer several targeted treatments to repair your damage. We can wipe out gum infections, reduce the depths of pockets that form between your teeth and gums, tighten ligament tissue, and reattach your teeth to your gums, if needed. Our overall goal is to stop the disease and decay from progressing.
If you’re showing signs of gum disease, call us at (408) 725-2442 to book an appointment with our team as soon as possible. You can also request an appointment online.