Gum Disease
Periodontal or Gum Disease
Studies show that 9 out of 10 people have some form of gum disease, which has been recognized as a significant health threat. Because we are living longer, gum disease can have a negative and long-term effect on the health of the entire body. How we maintain the health of our mouths is critical to our total health throughout our lives. Gum disease is also known as periodontal (Latin for around the tooth) disease. It is a bacterial infection that surrounds the teeth and can progress from the gums to the jawbone. Gum disease is generally painless, so the patient may not even be aware that he or she is infected. Warning signs of gum disease include red and swollen gums that bleed easily when poked. (View case studies of patients treated for Gum Disease.)
Gum Disease and Bleeding Gums
It is not normal for gums to bleed, but luckily, the infection can be treated non-surgically. The first stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. Gingivitis is a gum infection that is isolated only to the gums and has not yet reached the jawbone. Without dental treatment, the infection gets worse and eventually will reach and damage the jawbone. This stage of gum disease is called periodontitis. With periodontitis, bacteria gather in pockets that form between the tooth and gums. The bacteria damage deeper gum tissue and the jawbone that support the teeth.
Tooth Loss and Gum Disease
When too much bone is lost, the teeth can become loose and fall out. The patient above had to have some teeth removed in order to stop the infection. There was too much bone loss to save the teeth. The socket received a bone graft in efforts to save as much of the bone as possible. This is because the socket can collapse after an extraction and a bone graft can prevent socket collapse to help preserve the height of the jawbone. Fixed Dental Bridges were used to replace her missing teeth, rather than dental implants. Fixed porcelain dental bridges stay in place all of the time just like natural teeth and can be used when the bone is not large enough to successfully hold a dental implant.
Gum Disease and Infection -missing teeth are replaced with fixed porcelain dental bridges and her total body health is significantly improved.
(This is the same patient in the above photo)
The bacteria invade the patient's gums because the gums are not being cleaned often or thoroughly enough. Improper cleaning leads to the formation of plaque, which is a sticky slime layer on the teeth. The bacteria feed off of the plaque and multiply very quickly, especially while the patient is sleeping. They also give off toxic byproducts that weaken our teeth and can spread through our system. Although all of the negative effects of gum disease on our bodies have yet to be documented, there is a definite correlation between gum disease and systemic problems.
Bacteria Invade Your Blood
The bacteria that cause gum disease are looking for a way to harm the patient anyway possible by getting into the gums, going down the throat and getting into the blood stream. The body is constantly fighting the infection and uses a lot of energy to slow down the infection process. Your body needs your help to remove the food supply to the bacteria by effectively cleaning the teeth and gums and removing the sticky plaque twice a day.
Gum Disease Dissolves the Bone
More teeth are lost from gum disease then from dental decay. The bacteria cause the bone to dissolve from around the teeth and eventually the teeth loosen and fall out. Bone loss is permanent and if too much bone is lost, the patient may not be able to have a dental implant to replace the missing tooth. Preventing bone loss is essential to saving your teeth for your entire life. Fortunately, gum disease and bone loss can be stopped. Educating adults and children to develop effective brushing, flossing and rinsing is critical. There are far too many patients who think they are healthy and are shocked to see on the specialized camera that goes inside the patient's mouth and on x-rays that they are infected down to the bone! Many patients spend a lot of money joining health clubs, going on special diets, exercising, buying natural products, but sometimes overlook their oral health. Any existing infection or dental decay should be addressed promptly. Many patients also have bad bites that cause them to expend a lot of energy grinding their, teeth yet have no knowledge that they grind. Comprehensive dental care (Face Lift Dentistry ® and Bite Reconstruction) can benefit the patient's total body health every single day for the rest of their lives.
Face Lift Dentistry® is the ultimate level of care possible that replaces every crown, filling,
porcelain veneer; gum disease is cured; and a complete bite reconstruction is accomplished
for the best possible health.
Gum Disease and the Cosmetic Dentist
Cosmetic dentistry is only successful when the patient’s oral health is restored and/or maintained. If the gums are swollen or infected, they appear thick and heavy and it is difficult to achieve cosmetically pleasing results. Healthy gums are the first level of cosmetic dental care. The gums need to be tight, streamlined, thin and totally healthy. The camera systems help the patient see healthy gum inside their mouth and realize where they have unhealthy gums and apply better homecare. Porcelain Crowns can actually degrease the level of gum disease in the mouth by having the perfect shape. Gum disease can start in between teeth and decay the root surfaces of the teeth. As the root surfaces dissolve, the gums recede. Gum Recession is related to the shape of the tooth and the bite. Porcelain crowns, properly shaped can allow the gums to grow back.
Gums Grow Back
Bite reconstruction dentistry combined with eradication of gum disease can completely restore the mouth completely. The gum disease is healed, the tooth decay is removed and the teeth are restored with porcelain crowns that have a specific shape in order to grow the gums back naturally. It is amazing to see the before and after photo below that is untouched or unaltered demonstrate the gum growth after bite reconstruction. This patient was able to achieve a level of health and cosmetic dentistry that she never thought would be possible in her lifetime.
Gum Disease and Power Tooth Brushes
One of the best and most cost effective electric toothbrushes that we have utilized in our office is the Crest Spin Brush Pro (you can find this brush at drugstores for less than $10!). It is powerful, stimulates the gums, cleans the teeth effectively and requires less hand movement by the patient. By lightly applying the brush to the teeth and gums, the bristles provide lively action and do a great job cleaning the teeth. The patient should floss first and then brush second. The flossing and brushing with camera visualization of the infected areas by the patient has resulted in motivated and educated patients.
After properly instructed by the dentist, this patient began changing
how he takes care of himself at home. Hopeless teeth were extracted,
bone grafts were completed and the missing teeth were replaced.
The Most Important Time to Brush Your Teeth
Dr. Muslin usually tells his patients to brush their teeth at night for their health and brush them in the morning for their friends. Nighttime brushing is very important because while the patient is sleeping, properly cleaned gums can get healthy rather than more infected. At night before the patient goes to bed is the time to do the most thorough flossing, brushing and water picking. Get all of the plaque off of the teeth and the gum health improves.
Gum Disease and the Water Pik ®
The WaterPik® is the best rinsing device on the market today. By flossing first and brushing, second, the patient has loosened all of the sticky plaque from around the teeth. The WaterPik® is then used to rinse all of it away. The WaterPik® flushes in between the teeth and under the gum line, in addition to rinsing the flat surfaces of the teeth. The patient’s homecare technique is very important. Improper use of the power toothbrush and WaterPik® can actually hurt the teeth and gums, so he or she should get instruction from the dentist and be coached at the hygiene visits.
Gum Disease and Bad Breath
Bad breath is generally caused by sulfur-producing bacteria growing in the mouth. There are specific products that can kill sulfur-producing bacteria for fresher breath. Proper homecare, however, is the best way to eliminate bad breath. We have been successful motivating and educating our patients with the camera systems that magnify the inside of your mouth. When patients can see redness, swelling, and see infection in their mouth, they understand the problem and can take effective action. The dentist can successfully coach the patients to a very high level of dental health, which will improve their total health over a lifetime.
This patient was educated and motivated to change his home care method. The gum disease and bad breath were successfully treated and all of the missing teeth were replaced in just a few of months.
Mouth Washes
Mouthwashes are very helpful when used properly. For a mouthwash to be effective, the slime layer on your tooth must be broken up. Breaking up the slime layer on your teeth and gums is the single most important aspect of dental health because the mouthwash cannot penetrate the slime layer. Many patients falsely believe that if they brush quickly and rinse with Listerine or Scope, they eliminate the germs. Wrong! If you break up the slime layer with a power toothbrush and dental flossing, the mouthwash is very effective and does kill germs.
Gum Disease and the Best Toothpaste
There are many types of toothpaste available in the market today that help protect against decay and maintain bright, white teeth. Crest, Colgate, Tom's Number One, UltraBrite, Rembrandt, Pepsident, Sensodyne are the top brands that work well when used properly. Many patients, however, believe the toothpaste they use makes all the difference with their oral health. Their toothpaste fights plaque! Their toothpaste whitens the teeth! Their toothpaste stops cavities! Yet, they still have cavities, gum disease, bad breath and yellow teeth because the best toothpaste was not used in the best manner. The homecare technique is far more important because all of the plaque must be removed from the teeth in order for the toothpaste to work.
How to Stop Gum Disease
The best way to achieve a healthy mouth is to combine proper homecare with routine dental visits. This includes flossing first, brushing the teeth & gums with a power toothbrush second, and then using a WaterPik to flush the debris away. It is most important to do this technique just before going to bed and after waking. The level of health achieved by following this technique is maximal dental health. The gums tighten around the teeth, the red gums will be gone, the swollen gums will shrink, the bleeding will stop and the level of health dramatically improves. The dentist must take the lead and have the technology and ability to communicate with the patient. The dentist must be able to recognize areas where the patient needs improvement and help the patient accept and understand how much of a difference the his or her effort can make in stopping the gum disease.