Periodontal disease is a stage of gum disease. It infects the tissues that support your teeth and the bone that surrounds them. Along with tooth decay it’s one of the two most major threats to a person’s dental health and thus should be taken very seriously.
Symptoms of gum disease
It begins as gingivitis as the gums become red and swollen, eventually causing them to bleed. If it’s left untreated for a period of time, gingivitis can then develop into something a lot more severe called periodontitis and this can spell disaster. With periodontitis the teeth can be severely loosened and may even fall out entirely. This is because periodontitis causes the gums to pull away from the teeth and the surrounding bone can be lost. It is important to do your best to ensure that this disease doesn’t take effect or have time to develop. It’s a good idea to look out for some of the symptoms that precede periodontal disease, including bad breath, red or swollen gums, pain when chewing, and sensitive or loose teeth. But if you don’t manage to prevent it from occurring there are ways to manage it.
How can it be treated?
To keep gingivitis at bay it’s absolutely vital to both floss and brush regularly as this stops bacteria building up in between teeth and on the gums. Seeing a dentist at least once a year could mean the difference between gingivitis being caught early and therefore not developing into the far more severe periodontitis. If you suffer from any of the preceding symptoms that were mentioned earlier, it’s even more necessary to see a dental professional. A dentist is able to do a lot more intensive treatments that will help, such as prescribing medicines, deep cleaning of the tooth root surfaces and sometimes, if necessary, corrective surgery.
Book an appointment today for a dental check-up at City Dental Leeds.
Tags: City of Leeds Dentist Gum Disease, Gum disease treatment, Leeds Treats Gum Disease, Periodontal disease Central Leeds
