Gingivitis can cause soreness, redness, and even bleeding in your gums. Without action to manage or reverse it, you even risk the onset of periodontal disease! But we can help. In today’s blog, your team at Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA, talks about how to help prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease, improving your periodontal health.
The Causes of Gingivitis
What causes gingivitis? Your gums could become inflamed when you have serious plaque and tartar buildup. These layers can coat your teeth due to factors like a diet high in sugar and starch, and poor brushing and flossing habits. Other factors include tobacco use, a family history of poor gum health, or even the presence of certain inflammatory illnesses, such as diabetes. When this happens, you could notice your gums appear redder than normal or feel sore. There could even be bleeding when you brush and floss. Don’t ignore these symptoms, see us right away!
The Link to Periodontal Disease
Without treatment to reverse the inflammation, this could allow the gums to pull away from the teeth and develop pockets along the gum line. When disease-causing bacteria enter these pockets, this can lead to the onset of gum disease. This stage means the issue cannot be reversed, but with routine treatment we can manage the disease so you avoid the periodontitis stage and tooth loss, keeping your smile whole and healthy.
Prevention at Home and In Our Office
At home, you can protect your smile by limiting your intake of sugary foods and drinks, and by avoiding tobacco products. You also need to brush for two minutes when you wake up and then again before bed, and always take time to floss thoroughly before you go to bed too. Our team can help too! If you attend routine checkup and cleaning visits every six months, we can remove buildup from the smile to protect the health of your gums and teeth. If we find you have severe inflammation or even the early stages of gum disease, we could conduct a deep cleaning to remove buildup from the teeth and roots, also known as a scaling and root planing. We then follow this with a traditional cleaning every three to four months to control buildup and inflammation.
If you have any questions a bout protecting your smile from gingivitis and gum disease, or about how e help boost periodontal health with routine care, then contract our team today to learn more and receive the preventive care your smile needs!
Dental Impressions Helps Improve Periodontal Health
We want to help improve the overall health and beauty of your smile, including your gums! To schedule an appointment for boosting your periodontal health, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
