Gum Disease

Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Payson, AZ.

Visits to our dentistry office for regular cleanings and a checkup are opportunities for us to stop early gum disease before it causes any severe damage to your gums, teeth or jawbone.

Why are Healthy Gums so Important?

Teeth are held in place by healthy gums and bone tissue. Without that strong foundation, your smile would quickly start to lose its shine. In establishing good dental health, the first step is to check the gums and correct any early problems. When we welcome a new patient to our dentistry office, this is where we start.

It is not generally known that more people lose teeth because of gum disease than because of tooth decay. Without firm, healthy gums, teeth become loose and can fall out. We would like your restorative dental work to last your lifetime, and gum health is crucial for that.

There are always many bacteria in the human mouth, regardless of dental health or ill-health. The secret is to prevent them from causing any harm. The bacteria that cause gum disease have been linked to some serious health conditions:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Poor circulation; and
• Premature and low birth weight babies.

When we urge you to come for regular cleanings and check-ups, and when we treat gum disease, we are concerned for your general health as well as your dental health.

How Prevalent is Periodontal Disease?

It is thought that over 80 percent of Americans have some degree of periodontal disease. We use our advanced dental training and up-to-date technology such as lasers and ultrasound to diagnose and treat gum disease early, before it starts to threaten your oral and general health.

Symptoms of Periodontal Disease

Symptoms are not present in every case. Minor symptoms are:

• Gums bleeding when you brush or floss
• Puffiness and tenderness in the gums
• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Teeth that feel loose

Advanced Treatment for Gum Disease

We have invested in up-do-date technology to give you the best possible dental treatments.

• We use the DIAGNOdent system to detect decay and inflammation in the gums and teeth very early, before any real harm is done.
• Our Cavitron ultrasound cleaner gives a very thorough and comfortable cleaning with high-frequency sound waves, too high for the human ear to hear. It removes hard tartar from both above the gumline and below it.
• Antibiotics such as Arrestin can be applied directly to the periodontal pockets, where the gums may have retracted from the teeth and left space for more bacteria to spread. Arrestin will kill those bacteria and help restore health to that gum tissue.
• Our Millennium Nd-YAG laser gives a quick and effective treatment for gum inflammation and decay

Helpful Things to do at Home

You can maintain excellent oral health by:

• Brushing at least two or three times each day with a soft toothbrush
• Flossing at least once each day
• Using a fluoride rinse to help strengthen and protect the tooth enamel
• Visiting our office for regular hygiene visits and check-ups

If you do these things faithfully, you need never fear toothaches, tooth loss, or gum disease. Please see our pages on Periodontal Therapy for more details.

If you are a smoker, you might like to read our page on The Effects of Smoking on the Mouth. There is also helpful information about dental health on the Dry Mouth and Halitosis pages and at Common Cosmetic Dental Problems.

If you feel anxious about visiting a dentist and have been delaying it for too long, please see Sedation Dentistry. We understand that feeling and will do our best to help you feel comfortable in our office and relaxed and confident about your dental work.

To schedule a personal consultation, please contact our cosmetic dentistry office today. Our offices serve Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Payson, Arizona.