Gum disease is a common dental issue affecting nearly one-third of US adults. Poor oral hygiene and genetics typically create conditions for bacteria to multiply. This can set the stage for infection and damage to your gum tissue. Plaque and bacteria irritate and inflame gums, which create many problems for your oral health and hygiene.
In advanced cases, you may need restorative dental treatments to repair damage caused by gum disease. Dr. Jennifer Mohr is dedicated to provides comprehensive periodontal disease treatment at Mohr Smiles in Tucson, AZ. Understanding and treating periodontal disease will help you maintain the best health.
Periodontal Disease Therapy in Tucson, AZ
The word “periodontal” literally means “around the tooth.” Imagine your healthy gums fitting snugly around each tooth like a comfortable cuff. At the spot where your gum meets your tooth, there’s a natural groove called a sulcus. When your mouth is healthy, this space is very shallow.
Gum disease is a serious but common infection that attacks the gums and the bone that holds your teeth in place. It all starts when bacteria in your mouth form a sticky plaque. If the plaque isn’t removed, the infection can grow and cause bleeding gums, tooth loss, and even affect your overall health.
Stages: From Gingivitis to Periodontitis
The early stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. You might notice your gums are red, swollen, and they may bleed when you brush or floss.
If it isn’t treated, it can turn into a more severe form called periodontitis. Here, the tiny groove around your tooth gets deeper, forming a “pocket.” These deep pockets trap more bacteria and make it very hard to properly clean your teeth.
As the infection gets worse, it can cause your gums to pull away from your teeth and break down the supporting bone. This will eventually lead to loose teeth or even tooth loss. Look out for these early symptoms:
- Gums that are red, swollen, or bleed easily
- Bad breath that won’t go away
- Gums that are pulling away from your teeth
- Teeth that feel loose or a change in how your bite feels
- Pain when you chew or new tooth sensitivity
The most important thing to know is that gum disease can be managed if it’s caught early. Getting regular check-ups with Dr. Mohr is the best way to spot the warning signs before they become a bigger problem. Early treatment will stop the disease and protect your smile.
The periodontal-systemic disease interrelationships
Tooth loss is not the only potential problem posed by gum disease. There is strong evidence that toxins and inflammatory cells in the gums get into the bloodstream daily. These toxins go wherever the blood flows. Research suggests that there are links between periodontal disease and other health issues, such as:
- Heart Disease: When your gums are inflamed, bacteria can enter your bloodstream. Once there, they can stick to blood cells, forming small clots that can block blood flow to your heart or brain. This significantly increases your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.
- Diabetes: Gum disease and diabetes create a dangerous cycle. Inflammation from infected gums makes it much harder for someone with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels. Successfully treating gum disease can actually help improve blood sugar control. In turn, this can make diabetes easier to manage.
- Bacterial pneumonia: The bacteria that cause gum disease can be inhaled from your mouth directly into your lungs. This is dangerous for older adults or those with weakened immune systems. These same bacteria are known to cause respiratory illnesses like pneumonia.
- Pregnancy: Pregnant women with gum disease are seven to eight times more likely to deliver their baby prematurely and have a baby with a low birth weight. Doctors believe this happens because the infection triggers inflammation throughout the body. It can signal the body to go into labor too early. Taking care of your gums is an important part of prenatal care.
Are you at risk for gum disease?
You might be more likely to get gum disease because of a few different reasons. Smoking is one major cause. If someone smokes even just half a pack of cigarettes a day, they’re three times more likely to get serious gum disease than a non-smoker. The tricky part is that smoking hides the warning signs. A smoker’s gums might not get red or bleed, which are the usual clues that something is wrong. Because of this, the problem often isn’t found until it’s already gotten really bad.
How your teeth are lined up also matters because it’s a lot easier to keep straight teeth clean. When teeth are crooked, food and nasty plaque get stuck in tight spaces that are hard to brush. If you don’t remove that plaque, it can cause gum disease. Teeth that stick out can also have weaker bone around them, making the gums more likely to recede and wear away.
Some overall health issues can also affect your gums. Diseases like diabetes or HIV make it harder for your body to fight off all kinds of infections, including those that hurt your gums.
Even changes in your body can play a role. Things like going through puberty, being pregnant, or taking birth control pills change your hormone levels. This can make your gums more sensitive to the bad stuff in plaque and can help some bacteria grow faster.
Finally, gum disease can sometimes run in families. If your parents lost a lot of teeth or have dentures, you might need to be extra careful with your gum health. Some research even shows that the germs that cause gum disease can be passed between people through saliva, like from parents to kids or between partners.
Your Gum Disease Treatment Options
The right treatment for you depends on what type of gum disease you have and how severe it is. No matter what, we always start with the simplest and most gentle option first.
If your gums are healthy or you only have mild inflammation (gingivitis), we’ll likely recommend a regular cleaning. This is the same type of cleaning you get at your typical check-up. It’s a great way to keep healthy gums in good shape or to stop gingivitis in its tracks.
Sometimes, if there’s a very heavy buildup of hardened calculus or tartar, we need to do a deeper cleaning called a debridement first. We might need to do this for two main reasons:
- The buildup is so thick that it blocks our view, making it impossible to properly examine your teeth and gums.
- We need to clear away all the buildup and then give your gums some time to heal before we can accurately diagnose the true health of your gums.
After this cleaning, you’ll come back for a follow-up visit. We’ll see how your gums have responded and decide what, if any, further treatment you need.
Scaling & Root Planing
If you have active gum disease (periodontitis), the first step is a treatment called Scaling and Root Planing. Here’s what that involves:
- We carefully remove all the plaque and tartar from both above and below your gumline.
- We then smooth out the roots of your teeth. This helps your gums reattach to your teeth and makes it harder for new gunk to stick there in the future.
- We want you to be comfortable, so we will numb the area with local anesthetic so you won’t feel a thing.
After this deep cleaning, you’ll come back so we can check how well your gums are healing. We’ll measure your gum pockets again to see if they’ve gotten smaller.
Once your gums are healthy again, you’ll need to come in for cleanings more often. Usually every 3 to 4 months instead of just twice a year. This can keep those pockets clean and prevent the infection from coming back. Think of it as essential maintenance to protect your investment in your health.
Laser Bacterial Reduction Therapy
For patients maintaining healthy gums, especially those with uncontrolled periodontal disease, we offer Laser Bacterial Reduction (LBR). We perform LBR with a diode laser without the need for local anesthetic. Often, we use this in conjunction with regular hygiene visits. The goal is to reduce the number of virulent pathogens in the gum tissues that cause inflammation and bleeding.
A hygienist manually cleans these areas during a regular hygiene prophylactic or periodontal maintenance visit. However, only the laser energy can penetrate the soft tissues to reach the pathogens they harbor inside.
After completing your gums, Dr. Mohr performs a laser curettage of the most inflamed areas. You’ll immediately notice the results like tighter and healthier-looking gums before you leave. You shouldn’t experience discomfort with this procedure. In fact, we recommend it for all patients at every hygiene visit.
Minimally Invasive REPaiR Procedure
The REPaiR protocol is a new way to treat gum disease using laser technology. With this minimally-invasive approach we can preserve tissue and bone without extensive periodontal surgery.
REPaiR offers significant advantages, including a better patient experience and faster healing. Patients treated with laser energy simply recover much faster. We use the Erbium laser to perform incisions and disinfect the operative site, as it works to help you heal faster.
REPaiR therapy helps patients who have completed but not responded to phase 1 treatment. Phase 1 involves removing biofilm and calculus from areas above and below your gums through scaling and root planing. Our hygienist will perform this procedure first before REPaiR.
Then, Dr. Mohr administers local anesthesia and performs the REPaiR procedure. She will:
- Remove calculus and biofilm from areas deep below the gingiva and near the bone
- Remove infected tissue from inside the gums
- Remove excess tissue that causes deep un-cleansable pseudo-pockets around your teeth
- Promote the healthy reattachment of gum tissue to your teeth, reducing the depth of periodontal pockets.
Periodontal surgery is necessary when the depth of pockets and shape of the supporting bone structure make it hard to remove plaque and calculus completely. When calculus remains, your pockets won’t heal after SRP, and the disease will continue to progress. A periodontist performs periodontal surgery to visualize hard-to-reach areas and remove the calculus. Additionally, the surgeon will recontour supporting bone structure and reshape gums to facilitate easier home care.
Schedule a visit to Mohr Smiles to stop bleeding gums, and improve your oral health. Give us a call at 520-660-5666 or request an appointment online.