If your dentist informs you of a gum infection, it can cause a bit of alarm. You may have consistent bleeding when brushing your teeth or chronic bad breath that never seems to go away. The soreness in your tissue signifies your body’s inflammatory response as it tries to escape the irritation of plaque and tartar on the surface of your smile. Unfortunately, as the gums recede to escape the bacterial deposits, you lose the connective strength of your grin. When enough of this material is lost, your teeth themselves can begin to loosen. Gum disease is the primary cause of missing teeth among adults today. But by attending cleanings and exams regularly, you reduce your risk for gum infection and can catch it earlier in the process than waiting for painful symptoms. We can perform a periodontal maintenance therapy that cleans bacterial deposits both above and below your gumline to help put the infection into remission. While an infection is reversible in its initial stage, once the disease reaches your jawbone, it requires treatment for life.
At your Ankeny, IA dental office, we provide educational resources and treatments to help patients adjust to life after a gum infection. By taking an attentive attitude toward your smile care, you can preserve a significant amount of healthy material even when infection is present. Regularly cleaning bacteria from the surface of your teeth helps lessen symptoms that result from your body’s inflammatory reaction.
Prevent Gum Disease With Routine Cleanings And Exams
If you have chronic bad breath, sore gums, or constant bleeding when you brush or floss, you may have an active gum infection. When the signs are present, do not delay visiting the dentist. We can schedule an appointment outside of your regular meeting to examine your smile right away. By staying on top of your regular cleanings, you can remove the common bacterial deposits that lead to this unfortunate condition. This means preventing the leading cause of tooth loss while securing a fresh smile!
Periodontal Maintenance Therapy Can Keep Gum Disease In Check
If we discover an active infection, we may recommend a scaling and root planing procedure to help you clear bacteria above and below the gum line. While a standard cleaning clears deposits from the visible portion of your smile, once gum disease becomes advanced, pockets form below your gumline that reinforces the infection. This procedure relies on local anesthetic to enhance your comfort and ensure your tissues heal with ease.
Talk To Your Ankeny, IA, Dental Team About Treatment For Gum Disease
If you would like to learn more about our periodontal maintenance services or any other we offer, please call your Ankeny, IA, dentist’s office at 515-207-6182 to schedule a visit today.
