Did you know that your gums are crucial for securing your teeth and keeping your smile whole and beautiful? Which means protecting your periodontal health is essential for keeping you comfortable and ensuring you can smile without hesitation. In today’s blog, your Ankeny, IA, dentist talks about improving your periodontal health.
The Causes of Poor Gum Health
A number of issues could lead to poor periodontal health. For example, if you don’t brush and floss daily or see us for a routine checkup and cleaning every six months, then a harmful plaque and tartar buildup can form, which coats the teeth and eventually irritates and inflames the gums, leading to gingivitis and eventually, gum disease. A diet high in sugar can exacerbate the issue, as can the use of tobacco products, such as smoking cigarettes or vaping. You then begin to experience sore, red, and bleeding gums, and eventually recession could occur, in which tissues recede to make teeth appear long. This exposes the tooth roots not protected by enamel, so the risk of tooth decay and infection rises. Attachment tissues are also eroded, increasing the risk of a stage known as periodontitis and the chances of tooth loss. But we can help at the first signs of trouble!
Deep Cleanings
We will begin improving your periodontal health with a simple dental exam, in which we take a close look at your smile with digital x-rays and intraoral cameras, so we can look for signs of infection, recession, and attachment loss and bone damage. With this information, we can assess the presence of the disease and understand the severity, so we can choose the right treatment. For the early stages, we could conduct a deep cleaning known as a scaling and root planing.
With this option, we will use an ultrasonic scaling device, which emits gentle vibrations, to remove plaque and tartar from the teeth and roots. We also destroy pockets of bacteria beneath the gums. Our team will then polish the tooth to limit buildup before we see you again. The procedure could take one visit or more, and we will numb your smile to ensure your comfort. Our team typically follows this with traditional cleanings every three to four months to control buildup and keep inflammation and disease in check.
Laser Treatment
We could also discuss surgery and laser dentistry to help control inflammation by removing diseased portions of the tissues and in the process, comfortably reshaping the gum line. If you have any questions about how we treat and manage gum disease to keep your smile strong and full, then contact our team today to learn more about our approach to boosting periodontal health.
Dental Impressions Improves Periodontal Health
For healthier gums and a lower risk of disease and tooth loss, we can help. To schedule an appointment for better gum health, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
