Gingivitis
One or two regular cleanings, plus coaching on brushing and flossing, usually clears it up.
More about gingivitis
No bone has been lost at this stage, so a good cleaning and better home care can fully reverse it.
Gum disease treatment in Johns Creek
Gum disease is the main reason adults lose teeth, and it rarely hurts early on. A regular checkup catches it: gingivitis can usually be reversed, and periodontitis can be controlled with treatment and maintenance.
What are the warning signs?
Gums that bleed when you brush or floss. Healthy gums don't bleed.
Red, swollen or tender gums
Gums that have receded, making teeth look longer
Bad breath that doesn't go away
Pus between the teeth and gums
Loose teeth, or new gaps opening between teeth
A change in how your teeth fit together when you bite
Smoking raises your risk considerably, as do diabetes, some medications and hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause.
Gums bleed when you brush? That's reason enough to come in. Text us.
Text usWhat is periodontal disease?
It's an infection of the gums and, later, the bone that holds your teeth. It starts with plaque. Plaque you don't brush away hardens into tartar within about a day, and tartar can only be removed with dental instruments.
From gingivitis to periodontitis
The first stage is gingivitis: red, puffy gums that bleed when you brush or floss. No bone has been lost yet, and it's fully reversible with a good cleaning and better home care.
Ignored, the gums pull away from the teeth and form pockets, the infection moves below the gumline, and the body's own inflammatory response starts destroying bone. That's periodontitis. As it advances, teeth loosen, shift and eventually fall out or have to be removed.
How is it diagnosed?
At every checkup, your hygienist measures the pocket between the gum and each tooth. A healthy pocket is three millimeters or less and doesn't bleed. Deeper pockets, bleeding and loose teeth show how far things have progressed, and X-rays show whether bone has been lost.
How is gum disease treated?
Periodontitis: scaling and root planing
A deep cleaning, done one section of the mouth at a time with the area numbed.
What a deep cleaning involves
Scaling removes plaque and tartar from the tooth and root surfaces above and below the gumline, usually with an ultrasonic instrument and hand scalers. Root planing smooths the root surfaces so the gum can reattach and bacteria have a harder time settling back in. We may place an antibiotic in the pockets and send you home with a prescription rinse.
A few weeks later we measure again. Most pockets shrink. If some don't, next steps can include gum surgery to reduce pocket depth, grafting to regrow lost bone and gum tissue, or a referral to a periodontist. Teeth lost to gum disease can be replaced with implants once the infection is controlled.
Periodontal maintenance
Visits about every three months to keep the disease controlled.
What happens at maintenance visits
Pockets that have been deep once can refill with bacteria quickly, so we see periodontal patients about every three months instead of every six. We re-measure the pockets, clean above and below the gumline, check X-rays and existing work, do an oral cancer screening and adjust your home-care tools.
Why gum disease matters for the rest of your body
Research keeps finding links between gum disease and several chronic conditions. Treating your gums won't cure them, but the connections are strong enough that your physician may ask about your gums.
Diabetes
It runs both ways: diabetes makes gum infections harder to fight, and gum disease makes blood sugar harder to control.
More about diabetes
Treating periodontitis has been shown to improve A1c readings in some patients. If you're diabetic, twice-yearly checkups are the minimum.
Heart disease and stroke
People with gum disease are more likely to have coronary heart disease.
More about the heart
The association is well documented, though it hasn't been shown that gum disease causes heart disease or that treating gums prevents a heart attack. Leading explanations are oral bacteria entering the bloodstream and chronic inflammation.
Pregnancy
Gum disease during pregnancy is associated with preeclampsia, premature labor and low birth weight.
More about pregnancy
Hormonal changes also make gums more reactive to plaque during pregnancy, so it's a good time to be extra careful.
Lung disease
Bacteria from infected gums can be inhaled and have been linked to pneumonia and COPD flare-ups.
More about the lungs
Keeping gum infection under control reduces the bacteria that can reach the lungs.
Related care
Worried about your gums?
Text or call to book a checkup. We're at 9700 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite 108, next to Starbucks, across from the Regal theater.