Dangers of Advanced Periodontal Disease in Houston

Periodontal disease can be a nasty thing to deal with, especially once it has reached the advanced stage. At this point, it can actually be of concern to your overall health, not just that of your mouth.

Periodontal disease is usually caused by lack or oral hygiene, but it can sometimes be attributed to certain medications, other diseases, and the result of an accident.

Nearly half of all Americans experience some form of gum disease, but many may not realize it if the symptoms are not very strong. Some Americans may not seek treatment until gum disease gets really bad, and that can be a mistake.

Why Is Gum Disease Such a Problem?

Since the symptoms of gum disease can be fairly mild early on, it’s easy to ignore them. If they’re stemming from poor oral hygiene, this means they will continue to advance unchallenged until they become a major issue.

Similarly, some patients who do regularly keep up with their oral hygiene may be experience gum disease as a result of some underlying disease like diabetes or heart disease. Some medications may also cause periodontitis.

Whether a result of poor hygiene and especially if the result of another issue, seeing a Houston periodontist as soon as possible is the best thing you can do.

In the early stages of periodontal disease, the periodontist doesn’t need to do quite as much to reverse the effects. In the case of gum disease as a result of another disease, they may refer you to see your primary care doctor so that proper treatment of the root cause can be administered.

If the early stages are unnoticed or ignored, they will reach the advanced stage, which brings with it far more challenges and difficulty in treatment.

Treating Advanced Periodontal Disease in Houston

The best way to treat periodontal disease is to get to the source: bacteria causing infections under the gum line.

This hidden bacteria is causing the gums to swell, change color, and become tender. And as the bacteria spreads further, it can reach deep into the gums to the jaw bone, which is a whole new mess to deal with if that happens.

The most common procedure for treating advanced periodontal disease in Houston is a flap surgery. For this procedure, the dentist makes several small incisions in the gums to peel them up like a flap.

This flap exposes the base of the roots of your teeth, making them easier to clean and scrape away the bacteria causing the problem.

In more extreme cases, it’s possible that a soft tissue graft may be necessary if the infection has caused significant damage to the gums.

Further still, bone grafts may be required if the damage extends to the jaw. Some tissue and bone regeneration is possible using synthetic grafts and other methods, but they are not always an option.

Ideally, it is best to treat periodontal disease as soon as it is detected. If you are experiencing the usual symptoms, such as swollen, discolored, and tender gums, a perpetual bad breath, or loosening teeth, see a Houston periodontist right away.

The sooner you begin treating periodontal disease, the more effective the treatment will be and the greater the chances are of reversing all the damage. Not to mention you will also save money and a lot of discomfort by seeing a periodontist early.