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85% of all teenagers
have some form of gingivitis (inflamed gums) and 74% of
adults over the age of 35 have tooth loss due to
periodontal disease. few patients are in pain and few
have any obvious signs or symptoms of periodontal
disease. periodontal disease often progresses
undetected to the point where treatment cannot ever get
back the loss of bone and gum height around each tooth.
how do you stop it? ……prevention…. keep up with your
3-6 month dental hygiene recalls. what causes it? it
is caused by the accumulation of bacteria above and
below the gums surrounding each tooth. the accumulation
of plaque and tar contain bacteria. plaque and tar is a
sticky, colorless, bacteria deposit, which easily
collects on teeth. plaque which is not removed by
regular brushing and flossing, can harden into tartar
(calculus). this tartar or calculus can only be removed
by a dentist or dental hygienist. if the bacteria is
not removed the bacteria builds up beneath the gums
proliferating causing the first stage of red and
bleeding gums; the second stage is bone loss around the
tooth which worst case a patient could lose the
tooth/teeth. how do we treat periodontal disease.
scaling and root
planning is the only procedure that can remove the
accumulation of bacteria in plaque and tarter above and
below the gums. the procedure consists of scraping the
bacteria of the crown/root of each tooth. the ultimate
goal is to remove the bacteria and such the disease to
promote the rejuvenation of healthy gums. lastly, once
a patient has had periodontal disease they are more
prone to get the disease again. a continuous monitoring
of their oral health must be taken at every visit.
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