Southland Dental Care is a local dental office that provides comprehensive and preventive oral care to the families of Southland and surrounding areas. Our team of caring dental professionals works together to provide patients with state-of-the-art service and treatment. While we offer many services, one of our most popular is gum disease prevention because we have an exceptional Los Angeles periodontist. Our goal is to keep your gums and teeth looking, feeling, and working their best. Our team pays close attention to each patient’s needs to receive the highest quality oral care possible. The cost of gum disease treatment is high and can even result in tooth loss. To prevent this from happening, you must visit the dentist regularly for a gum disease screening. This will allow our team to monitor the health of your gums and perform any necessary treatment.
What is gum disease?
Gum disease is a common name for various infections that can affect the gums and surrounding bone structure. Left untreated, it could result in some severe health concerns. In fact, gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults over 30 years old. However, early detection by our periodontist makes treatment more successful and minimizes any long-term effects on your teeth or mouth.
What are signs of gum disease?
There are several symptoms associated with the onset of gum disease. Some of these include:
Bleeding while brushing or flossing
This is the number one symptom of gum disease. When you begin to lose gum tissue, you will start seeing some bleeding or discomfort when brushing your teeth or while flossing. If this occurs, be sure to visit our office for a screening on the same day. Bleeding can be caused by plaque buildup between the teeth and gums. Even if you don’t notice any bleeding at first, it is still essential that you see your dentist for treatment
Swollen gums
When your gums are swollen and red, it could also indicate the beginning stages of gum disease. It might feel prickly, irritated, or sore when touched with your fingers. This type of discomfort means that there is inflammation in the mouth area due to infection from bacteria. If you notice this discomfort, contact our office right away, and we can examine to determine the cause.
Scaly gums
Scaly and flaky gums are another sign of early gum disease. This will look like dry skin on the surface area, and it could easily be mistaken for dandruff if you do not get treatment before inflammation occurs. Remember that gum disease is a serious condition that can lead to tooth loss, so visit Southland Dental Care immediately if you notice any signs of discomfort or inflammation.
Swollen lymph nodes in your neck or jawline
In advanced stages of gum disease, other parts of the body could experience swelling as well. If you a tenderness around your jawline or the lymph nodes in your neck are swollen, these could be symptoms of gum disease.
Bad breath plus any one of the above symptoms
If you notice bad breath with any of these other symptoms, you must visit our Gum disease treatment near by office right away for an examination. If left untreated, this will lead to more serious health conditions over time. Gum disease treatment includes deep cleaning the mouth to remove plaque buildup, antibiotic therapy to reduce inflammation and kill bacteria, and scaling procedures to eliminate excess tartar from teeth.
Dental problems
People who have gum disease are more likely to experience a variety of other dental issues during the gum disease treatment process. These can include tooth loss, loose teeth that require a root canal, and persistent bad breath. If you have been experiencing any of these symptoms, contact our team as soon as possible for an examination.
Pregnant women
Gum disease is not exclusive to adults; it can also affect pregnant women as well. Women may notice slight bleeding while brushing their teeth or some tenderness in the mouth area after an adjustment at their dentist’s office; if this occurs, seek out treatment immediately and do not wait until after your first trimester ends.
Periodontal abscess or cyst formation
If you notice some lumps on your gums, these could indicate gum disease. This is called a periodontal abscess when the infection has spread to the tissue surrounding the teeth.
Gradual changes in your bite or occlusion
One more warning sign of gum disease you might notice is gradual changes in the way you bite down on food or how it feels to chew on certain textures. If this problem continues over time with treatment, it can lead to problems with your jaw joints and damage to teeth.
What would happen if not treated?
If you ignore the warning signs of gum disease, several serious health issues could develop. These signs of gum disease can include:
Bone loss
Advanced gum disease can lead to bone loss that eventually reduces the number of teeth you have. The longer the condition remains untreated, the more likely it will result in tooth loss. This also increases your risk for other health complications, including heart disease and diabetes later on in life.
Heart Disease
Studies show that patients with chronic periodontal diseases are at a higher risk for cardiovascular issues than those without these problems. If this infection spreads to other areas of your body, there is a high chance of developing severe illness or even death from cardiac arrest or stroke.
Pregnancy issues
In pregnant women who do not seek treatment for their gum disease quickly enough, it could develop into a severe problem during childbirth called perinatal infections. If you are expecting, it is even more vital that you receive treatment immediately; the longer the condition goes untreated, the higher chance tooth or jawbone damage could occur during delivery.
Developmental issues in children
If gum disease goes untreated during childhood and adolescence, there is a risk of developing permanent teeth problems much later on in life. This can include crooked facial features due to misaligned teeth or loss of tissue surrounding the teeth structure.
Diabetes & Hepatitis B & C
There also exists a higher chance for diabetes and conditions like hepatitis B and C if these bacteria spread to other parts of your body over time. These viruses will only get worse without proper care, leading to serious health risks later on.
Increased chance of heart attack or stroke
If you have already developed dental problems from untreated gum disease, your risk for cardiovascular issues is much higher as the condition worsens over time. Those with severe periodontal disease can develop a 50% to 100% increased risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke in their lifetime. The more severe the tooth loss and overall damage to the surrounding bone structure, the higher this risk.
Recurrent oral abscesses
If left untreated, gum disease will cause recurrent infections that result in painful areas around teeth and tissue damage that could require significant treatment to resolve. If these conditions continue without medical attention, they could lead to lasting health effects, including chronic headaches, fever, and fatigue.
The best way to prevent these issues is by visiting our practice for routine examinations twice a year and avoiding the high cost of gum disease treatment. These routine exams will allow Dr. Delaram Hanookai at Southland Dental Care to diagnose any problem before it becomes severe enough for further treatment down the line.
If you are looking for Gum disease treatment near by or a Los Angeles periodontist to provide gum disease treatment and restore your oral health, we can help. Call us today for an appointment with Dr. Delaram Hanookai. To learn more about early warning signs of gum disease or schedule a screening appointment, call Southland Dental Care today!