Gums that bleed are never normal. They are signs that something’s wrong with your gums. But without knowledge of good oral hygiene or because of not having dental insurance, many Americans ignore this problem. According to the U.S.Food and Drug Administration, gum disease affects about 80 percent of Americans. Parkway dental care patients have some stage of gum disease at about 98 percent at one time or the other.
Gum disease stages can be classified into two, namely gingivitis and periodontitis. Good oral hygiene is the main solution to gingivitis while periodontitis only has a temporary solution which is to control it but in the long run, it will lead to tooth loss. Periodontitis errantly sets in.
Indications of gingivitis include bad breath and red, swollen, bleeding gums. With gingivitis, the teeth are still firmly rooted in the gums and they completely surround the teeth. Usually, gingivitis develops into periodontitis although it doesn’t always lead to it. The tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth is called periodontitis which is a chronic bacterial infection. The disease’ main cause is bacterial plaque.
A sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth is plaque. Without good oral hygiene, it eventually turns into tartar. A professional cleaning is the only way to remove tartar. This condition gets worse if it is not monitored although it is not fatal.
In the gums, the root of the tooth is held by the bone. The teeth’s supporting structures such as the bone and the gums are slowly consumed by the disease as it progresses. During this stage of gum disease, anaerobic bacteria live and grow in the pockets that are formed upon pulling away of inner layer of the gums and bone from the teeth. There will be a higher risk for stroke and heart attack if gum disease is ignored, and not only permanent tooth loss.
Heart problems and stroke are not the only illness that has been linked with gum disease but as well as other medical conditions. In the last decade, gum disease has been linked to respiratory infections, heart disease, severe osteopenia, uncontrolled diabetes and preterm or low birthweight babies. The bacteria in the mouth are also the same bacteria that infect the heart, according to what they found. The connective tissues and blood vessels are easily penetrated by negative bacterial substances and live bacteria from the mouth according to the recent article, Periodontal Medicine found in the journal Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. It states that this systemic challenge has the potential to affect tissues and organs at distant sites.
A reservoir for molecules are the affected pockets around the teeth which enhance inflammatory response that can enter systemic circulation and induce systemic effects, based on the two female authors of the article. They also added that heart health, the developing fetus, diabetes, and the respiratory health of elderly patients are the systemic effects of gum disease that may be accounted for by these two pathways.
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