Signs and Stages of Gum Disease 

Did you know that three out of four Americans will have some form of gum disease? Ranging from mild cases to severe, gum disease can cause red, swollen, and bleeding gums. In this article, we’ll detail the signs and stages of this condition, and why you shouldn’t let it go untreated. 

What is Gum Disease? 

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is an infection of the tissues that hold your teeth in place. This disease commonly happens due to poor oral hygiene. When you don’t brush or floss properly, plaque builds up on the teeth and eventually hardens into tartar. When the condition progresses, it can cause your gums to become easily irritated and sore, bleed easily, and it can make it difficult for you to eat and chew. 

This painful condition is one of the worst oral health issues a person can experience, especially when it advances to later stages. It starts out with gum irritation, swelling, and some minor bleeding, however, it can eventually lead to tooth loss if it progresses far enough. 

Stages of Gum Disease

It’s important to be aware or sign that your gums could be infected. Many people don’t realize they have an issue until it becomes painful, but visiting the dentist for regular checkups can help catch it early before it progresses. The stages of this condition include:

• Gingivitis: In this beginning stage of gum disease, patients will notice slightly swollen gums that could be sensitive. Further, they could experience bleeding gums. While many patients in this stage might not experience pain, it’s still important to see a dentist in this stage. At this point, gum disease can easily be reversed. 
• Moderate: After a certain point, gingivitis can progress into moderate gum disease which means tooth recession has begun. Many people get to this stage if they don’t visit the dentist regularly and never knew they had gingivitis. At this stage, gums begin to recede due to the plaque irritating them. This will then expose some of your tooth root, which means you will have a tough time eating hot and cold food and drinks, and even sweets. 
• Severe: This is the most serious form of this disease. In this stage, so much tooth recession has occurred that the teeth can begin to fall out. Your gums are what hold your teeth in place, so when recession occurs, the tooth becomes more and more exposed. Eventually, there will be no gum tissue left to keep holding the tooth. 

Gum Disease Treatments 

It is not easy to treat gum disease on your own at home. In fact, you’ll need to see a dentist like Dr. Kevin Varley to overcome gum disease. In the early stages, all gum disease treatment involves a deeper cleaning when you come in for your regular cleaning appointments. This type of cleaning is known as ‘planing and scaling’ and involves cleaning the gum pockets where infection typically occurs. 

The tools used are normal scaling and scraping toys to clean patients’ teeth. However, at this time, we will also measure your gum pockets to see just how much progression has occurred. We will use those tools to clean under the gums to remove food and plaque, and even tartar that has appeared. After all of this is removed, you’re likely to have a decrease in irritation and gum recession.

WebMD details further ways that gum disease could need to be treated. An overview of treatment options include:

Non-surgical treatments:

These are the treatments we discussed above, such as a professional dental cleaning and scaling and root planing. 

Surgical treatments:

These treatments include flap surgery or pocket reduction surgery, bone grafts, soft tissue grafts, guided tissue regeneration, and bone surgery. These are all surgeries aimed at removing plaque and tartar that has been hiding in hard-to-see areas and correcting recessions that could have occurred. The more severe the case, the more intensive surgical option will be needed.

Medication:

Antibiotics can be used alone or in combination with the other therapies mentioned to help reduce or temporarily eliminate the bacteria associated with gum disease. 

Heal Your Gums with Stonebrook Family Dental

Gum disease can be prevented, but even if you experience a mild case there are things we can do to make sure you don’t lose any teeth. If you begin to notice any signs of gum disease, schedule an appointment with Dr. Kevin Varley and our team at Stonebrook Family Dental today.