Gum Disease Stages

Gum disease, or periodontal disease, is a serious infection of the gums that can lead to loss of your teeth, as well as negative health effects. According to the National Institute of Dental Research, 80 percent of adults in America are in one of the two major stages of gum disease.

Stages

• Your gums are important to your teeth because they hold them in place and protect the roots. When you have gum disease, the gums that surround the tooth start to fill up with pockets of bacteria that begin to get puffy and allow the tooth to decay and get loose in your mouth. The two major stages of gum disease are gingivitis and periodontal disease, but before this occurs there is the plaque and tartar stage of tooth decay.

Plaque, Tartar and Gingivitis

• Plaque forms on our teeth every day, but we remove it by brushing and flossing. If you do not brush or floss plaque off, it will harden into tartar that only a dental assistant can remove at your regular dental appointments. If you don't go to the dentist, the tartar turns to gingivitis. Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease.

  Gingivitis can be reversed under the care of your dentist with proper oral hygiene habits and possibly a special toothpaste and dental rinse. You will need several dental cleanings to scrape the tartar off. Brush and floss your teeth twice a day to get rid of plaque and stop tartar from forming.

Periodontal Disease

• Gingivitis can develop into stage two of gum disease, which is periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can affect one or all of your teeth. Your gums will become red, inflamed with puffy pockets of bacteria around your tooth. Soon your teeth will get loose in your gums and fall out, or have to be removed by a dentist.

Risk Factors and Symptoms

• The risk factors that increase your chances of getting gum disease are poor dental hygiene habits, smoking, diabetes, taking anti-depressants, genetics, stress, and a change in your hormonal balance.

  Symptoms of gum disease are red, swollen, puffy bleeding gums, pus between teeth, loose teeth, gaps between your teeth that were not there before, constant bad breath or sensitive teeth and gums. You may also notice a change in your bite or the way you are able to chew because your teeth are shifting and getting loose.

Prevention

• To prevent gum disease, you should brush and floss your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. Go to the dentist every 6 months for a cleaning and dental checkup. Do not smoke.

Treatment

• Before you lose all your teeth and need dentures or implants, a conservative approach to treatment will be deep cleaning of the roots called scaling and root planing. After the root planing treatment, gelatin chips with medication are put in place to save the teeth. A prescription for an anti-microbial mouth rinse will be used like a regular mouthwash. Go to the dentist for this treatment regularly.