What To Know About Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is something that impacts millions of Americans and many of them are completely unaware. Periodontal disease is a gum infection, or infections, that can eventually damage the soft tissue of your gums and destroy the bone that supports your teeth if left untreated. The early form is often referred to as gingivitis. Nearly half of all adult Americans suffer from some form of periodontal disease. Here are three things that you should be aware of when it comes to this condition.
The Symptoms
The first thing that you should consider is familiarizing yourself with the symptoms of this condition. Early signs typically include swollen and bleeding gums. If you notice blood when you brush or floss, it's important to tell your dentist. A trip to the periodontist may be needed. Signs that you may have more severe periodontal disease include receding gums, pus pockets, loose teeth, space between the teeth, and pain when chewing. If you have any of these symptoms, it's important to seek out treatment immediately. The faster you seek help, the more treatment will be able to help.
Risk Factors
While you may think that you are not susceptible to periodontal disease due to having proper oral hygiene, even those who brush and floss properly can still have trouble with this disease. There are certain risk factors that can increase the chances of you developing this disease. Age is a big factor—over 70 percent of Americans over the age of 65 have periodontal disease. Other risk factors include smoking and tobacco use, stress, genetics, certain medications, obesity, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cardiovascular disease. If any of these apply to you, be on alert for signs of trouble with your gums.
Treatment
Treatment will involve a visit to a periodontist where you will learn more about your options. Treatments include both surgical and non-surgical options.Typically the surgical options are used for more advanced cases. One of the first line of treatments is a deep cleaning, also referred to as scaling and planing. This costs anywhere from $500 to $4,000. If your gums have receded enough to expose the tooth roots, a gum tissue graft may be needed. This procedure costs between $600 and $1,200 per area were the tissue has receded. Full-mouth surgical treatment ranges from $4,000 to $5,000 on average but can easily cost $8,000 to $10,000 to correct extensive damage.
Periodontal disease is far more common than you may realize and you could be suffering without even knowing it. Knowing the signs of this condition is the first step. Bleeding and swollen gums are one of the first signs that something is not right. There are also a variety of risk factors that can increase your chances of having this disease. Treatments vary but there are plenty of options that can help reverse the damage.
For more information, reach out to a dentist, like Bradley Piotrowski, DDS, MSD, LLC.