Our team provides an array of periodontic treatment options for our patients in Brooklyn, NY. Which means we are ready to take on issues like gingivitis and even periodontal disease. In today’s blog, your team at Brooklyn Periodontics and Implantology talks about the difference (and links) between gingivitis and periodontal disease.
The Causes of Gum Inflammation
How do your gums end up being inflamed? For many, this is due to factors like poor brushing and flossing and a diet high on sugar, which promotes plaque and tartar buildup. These layers then irritate and inflame the gums, creating gingivitis. Other factors could include a family history of poor gum health, tobacco use, lack of professional cleaning every six months, or even inflammatory illnesses like diabetes.
Warning Signs of Gingivitis
How do you know if you have gingivitis? You could experience relatively minor changes to your gums at first. For example, they could appear redder than normal, or they could feel sore or develop minor swelling. If there are changes to your gums, even minor ones, we want you to contact our team for a diagnosis. With digital imaging, we can look closely at your smile to assess the risk your inflammation is causing, and then create a treatment plan to address them. With proper care early enough, you can avoid the onset of periodontal disease altogether!
The Link to Periodontal Disease
Without treatment, the gingivitis could increase in severity until the gums pull away from the teeth and from pockets along the gum line. As this happens, harmful oral bacteria will enter the pockets and lead to the onset of periodontal disease. Once this stage develops, you need care to manage it and prevent it from reaching a stage known as periodontitis, which could lead to loose and missing teeth. In fact, untreated periodontal disease is the number one cause of adult tooth loss!
Warning Signs of Periodontal Disease
You may initially experience the same symptoms as gingivitis, with sore and red gums that could swell. As the issue increases in severity, you could also experience bleeding when you brush and floss, or recession in which the gums pull back to make teeth appear longer. These warning signs should not be ignored, as we can offer care to control the disease and prevent it from severing the connective tissues between your teeth and gums. You avoid painful symptoms and keep your smile full and free of tooth loss. Every smile is unique, so we will create a personalized treatment plan to help!
Treatment Options
How do we treat periodontal disease? If we catch the issue in the early stages, we could offer a deep cleaning, also known as a scaling and root planing. With this option, we will generally remove plaque and tartar from the teeth and exposed roots, and from under the gums too. This could take one visit or several, it all depends on your buildup, and we will numb your smile to keep you comfortable. We could also discuss options like Ozone Therapy to destroy harmful bacteria, or special antimicrobial medications.
For more severe cases, we could offer laser dentistry, using advanced soft tissue lasers to trim away diseased portions of your gums and destroy bacteria, while leaving healthy tissues intact. We can reshape the gum line with comfort and precision too, so you gain an attractive smile. This same technology can also help with gum contouring to combat gummy smiles.
Managing Your Gum Health
Following your initial treatment, we could offer care to help manage periodontal disease and protect your smile for months and years to come. For example, we can help keep buildup under control by gently removing all plaque and tartar with a routine cleaning every three to four months. Our team can also discuss better homecare habits to safeguard your gums in between your visits to our office. With these steps, you can keep your smile full and beautiful for years to come!
If you have any questions about how we provide better periodontal health, or about the differences between gingivitis and gum disease and how to recognize the warning signs, then contact your team today to learn more. A visit now is also a chance to use your remaining 2026 dental benefits and health savings account funds before they expire!
Brooklyn Periodontics Provides Better Periodontal Health
We want to take on inflammation and protect your smile from discomfort and tooth loss. For more information about safeguarding your gum health, then please call Brooklyn Periodontics & Implantology in Brooklyn, NY at (718) 444-3800 today.
