A dentist plays a huge role in your total wellness, both physically and mentally. A healthy smile not only looks better, but it’s also true that some dental problems can affect your boy. Today we want to share some information about gum disease and its effect on your entire body, beyond the damage it can do to your teeth and gums.

North Oaks Dental is one of the few offices in Royal Oak MI to offer a full range of dental services for patients of all ages. If you’re having dental issues or need a great dentist, give us a call today at 248-712-1522 to book a visit.

Gum Disease Can Destroy Your Teeth, Health

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, occurs when there is an infection in the gums. This infection is so dangerous because it can destroy the teeth and gums and even cause overall health issues. Gum disease often starts small. The first signs are usually swollen or bleeding gums, but advanced gum disease can actually cause the teeth and gums to separate. People with gum disease also can experience tooth sensitivity, bad breath, or even loose teeth.

There are three major problems with gum disease:

  1. It’s the leading cause of tooth loss in adults
  2. Serious gum disease, periodontitis, is not curable. You’ll need care every three to four months to maintain the disease
  3. This problem is linked to serious condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Let’s address that third point. A study was recently published in the medical journal Hypertension. The study looked at more than 3,600 records of people who have high blood pressure. The research found that people with gum disease were 20 less likely to respond to high blood pressure medication. So not only can gum disease increase the risk of heart problems or diabetes, but the treatment may make it harder to treat hypertension.

How We’re Treating Gum Disease

If we can’t save the tooth, we can replace the tooth with a great option like dental implants. Our dental implants are the strongest tooth replacement option. Of course, we don’t want you to lose your teeth because of gum disease. We have two gum disease treatments to help patients with gum disease: laser dentistry and the Pinhole® Surgical Technique (please note that Dr. Daboul is the only doctor in our practice certified to perform this technique).

The Pinhole technique is a convenient way to treat gum recession without gum grafting, which requires the use of scalpels and stitching soft tissue in place. Gum recession is often a side effect of gum disease or some patients have a natural gummy smile. With the pinhole technique, we make a small hole in the gums and then manipulate the gums into a more appropriate location. We then place collagen so the gums stay in place.

Laser dentistry is another alternative treatment — in this case for gum disease. Instead of using the scalpels or stitches to remove an infection from the gums, we’re using the laser to evaporate the infection. The benefit of laser therapy is that we don’t need to need to cut the gums, and the recovery time is much faster.

Don’t let gum disease take over your life

As you can see, gum disease is serious problem that can take over your mouth and put your overall health at risk. If you have issues with your gums or need to find a dentist skilled in all facets of dentistry, give us a call today at 248-712-1522 or use the online form to book a visit.