Periodontitis is the formal name of advanced gum disease. It’s one of the leading causes of tooth loss, and affects nearly half of Americans over the age of thirty. But advanced gum disease can be treated at Karen E. Williamson DDS PA in Rockwall TX, and does not have to result in the loss of teeth.
The first thing to tell you is that gum disease is progressive. Before it reaches the advanced stage, it is called gingivitis, which is inflammation in the gums. An early sign of gingivitis is bleeding when you brush or floss your teeth.
Gingivitis develops when plaque is not adequately removed from your teeth. You remove it by brushing and flossing. The good news is that gingivitis is easily reversible. If you’re diagnosed with it, you need to step up your brushing and flossing, and get a professional cleaning by a dental hygienist.
Advanced gum disease develops when gingivitis is not treated. Toxins build up in the plaque on your teeth and invades gum tissue. Not only that, it gets into the bone and ligaments the support the teeth. The teeth can actually come loose.
Severe cases may require surgery. But first is a non-surgical treatment called scaling and root planing, or SRP. We scrape plaque and tartar off the surfaces of your teeth and root surfaces. From there, any roughness on the roots is smoothed to prevent bacteria from accumulating there.
It usually takes more than one dental appointment to complete SRP. But once it’s over, the gums will heal and reattach itself to the teeth. After a few weeks we’ll evaluate the procedure to determine whether additional treatment is necessary.
All of this can be avoided with proper dental care. Like we always say, we want our patients to brush and floss twice a day to maintain their dental health.
At Karen E. Williamson DDS PA in Rockwall, we specialize in periodontics and provide gum disease treatment. Schedule an appointment with us today.
Contact Karen E Williamson D.D.S., P.A:
469-402-0024
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
560 W Ralph Hall Pkwy, Rockwall, TX
Rockwall, Texas
75032
