"The Mouth Moment"

Issue 1

Gum Disease… As I talk to my patients and especially patients that are new to our office, I am amazed to see how little most folks know or have heard about gum disease.  As I tell most new patients, the dental profession has historically been very good about “fixing teeth” but only recently, like in the last 10 years, has become concerned about gum disease and how it affects the oral health of our patients.  There are many reasons for this discrepancy.  And instead of boring you with the details of this discrepancy, I feel it best to provide information about this disease.  Besides the common cold, tooth decay and gum disease are the most common diseases affecting us.  We now know that 75% of the population has some level of gum disease.  Gum disease is a bacterial infection that starts between the teeth by affecting the gums.  It can then spread and advance to affect the bone support of the teeth.  Gum disease starts out as Gingivitis and progresses untreated to advanced periodontal disease and eventual tooth loss.  More people lose their teeth to gum disease than any other condition.  Once the disease process affects the bone, permanent damage can occur.  Early detection is the key to successful treatment.  As such, the American Dental Association recommends that every dentist perform a gum disease evaluation on each patient on a yearly basis.  If this evaluation is not performed, it is essentially impossible to diagnosis the condition.  Subsequently, if there is no diagnosis, a dentist would not be able to accurately recommend treatment.

Next issue: Link between gum disease and overall health, “Cleaning” vs Gum Disease Treatment, and more