Why Early Intervention Makes All the Difference in Gum Disease

Gum disease, clinically known as periodontitis or periodontal disease, is a common condition that affects the tissues surrounding your teeth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s a primary cause of tooth loss in adults because it inflames your soft gum tissues and causes the bones that support your teeth to deteriorate over time.

In its earliest stage, before it progresses to periodontitis, gum disease is called gingivitis. Unfortunately, nearly half of adults over 30 have it. Thankfully, gingivitis is reversible, and our team here at Emery & Scuro DMD, PC in Rochester, New York, can help with a customized preventive care plan to keep your teeth and gums healthy. 

Our dental experts share more about why early intervention is so important. But first, let’s look at some of the symptoms and causes of gum disease.

Key symptoms of gum disease

Periodontitis begins as gingivitis. Some of its telltale symptoms are:

• Puffy, swollen gums
• Pain and tenderness when you chew food or brush your teeth
• Bleeding when you brush or floss
• Chronic bad breath

Your gums may also pull away (recede) from your teeth with gingivitis.

Common causes of gum disease

Gum disease results from a bacterial infection under the soft tissues around your teeth. Typically, the infection develops from the accumulation of dental plaque, a sticky coating of bacteria, food particles, and saliva.

If you don’t eliminate the plaque with thorough and daily brushing and flossing, it hardens into tartar and can no longer be removed with at-home techniques. Tartar buildup puts you at risk of developing gingivitis, which advances quickly to periodontitis if left untreated.

If your gum disease is already advanced, we offer laser gum therapy to help save your teeth and restore oral health.

The importance of early intervention

Catching gum disease early comes with significant benefits:

• Stops progression — discovering, diagnosing, and treating gum disease when it’s in a mild stage keeps it from advancing to its more destructive form
• Saves money — rather than costly invasive procedures that advanced infection requires, early treatment usually involves affordable measures like: 
• Getting a professional dental cleaning to eradicate plaque and tartar 
• Improving your daily oral health routine 
• Using antimicrobial mouthwash
• Preserves teeth — untreated periodontal disease compromises the health of the bones that secure your teeth
• Safeguards overall health — gum disease affects your whole body and is linked to a number of serious health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and pneumonia

Stop gingivitis from progressing into full-blown gum disease by scheduling a consultation with one of our dentists and a comprehensive dental cleaning here in our state-of-the-art office. Call now or request an appointment online. We look forward to partnering with you to help you optimize your oral health.