A Dentist Can Save Your Gums

Dentist visits provide an imperative function to the healthy oral hygiene and maintenance routine for all patients, young and not so young. All (nine) specialty areas allow for a deep professional understanding of the causes and complications of all conditions that plague the teeth, bones, and soft tissue of the oral cavity. They work with patients to diagnose and treat the different types of infections and diseases that deteriorate the mouth. These illnesses take from our comfort and ability to perform oral hygiene, chew our food, or smile easily. Further, when a tooth becomes excruciatingly sensitive: cracks, loosens and falls out; we notice and we immediately do what we can to prevent it from happening again. In contrast, when our gums are tender, bleeding, or puffy, we ignore it. Why? Perhaps it is because we get through life chewing with our teeth not our gums, right? Wrong. The gums are just as important as the teeth.

In addition, there are some individuals who believe in settling; they believe that because the people they grown up with/around have different gum color and texture, and chew just fine, then they will be OK too. This can cause the idea that a little puffiness all the time or a little bleeding during flossing can be seen as normal and no big deal. However, your dentist will only see that those are a couple of the signs of two very big deals: gingivitis and periodontitis. They are the two big, bad gum diseases that can rob you of gum tissue to secure your teeth, and weaken the bones of your jaw because, yes, the infection can go that deep from gum disease. So if you think that you can just get dentures and you’re problems solved, you may want to check the x-rays with your dentist. If you don’t have the jaw bones to support the implants for the dentures, you may be reducing your own chances of a plan B.

The gums completely surround the teeth and help to secure them into the jaw. Without healthy, properly functioning gum tissue it would be even harder to keep our teeth predominately healthy for even a quarter of a lifetime let alone half, as most men and women do. The fact of the matter is that your teeth will deteriorate and at least half will fall out or need to be removed before you reach old age. Most men and women will require at least one filling, implants, crowns, or bridge assistance over their lifetime. The good news is that the damage that will bring about the need for prosthesis assistance will have been brewing long before any oral surgery has to be scheduled. This is good news because we can begin to do something about it now. If you want to salvage your gums, teeth, and tissue consult with your local dentist about an individualized treatment plan for the prospect of a healthy mouth in your future.

If you have teeth, there should be an obligation take care of the tissue and bones that support them. Without healthy gums there can be no teeth. The infections, diseases, and deterioration that affect one affect the other.