At Hunter Dental in Markham, our dentists work with our patients to help prevent and manage periodontal (gum) disease.
Request an AppointmentAbout Gum Disease
Periodontal (gum) disease is an infection of the tissues that support your teeth. This includes your gums, gingiva, alveolar bone, cementum, and the periodontal ligament.
Anyone can develop gum disease, but certain factors elevate the risk, such as poor oral hygiene, smoking, and some systemic diseases that permit the build-up of plaque on your teeth which will eventually affect your gums.
Gum Disease & Your Overall Health
Gum disease can be very serious as it can cause several health issues, including heart health, diabetes, and being able to lead a healthy lifestyle. Prevention and treatment should be essential.
Stages of Gum Disease
In the early stages of development, gum disease can be difficult to detect. Often, patients only become aware of symptoms once they have progressed beyond the earlier phases.
Untreated, gum disease typically progresses in the following stages:
- Gingivitis
The first stage of gum disease is gingivitis. Gums become irritated by the build-up of plaque and the toxic by-products. This causes your gums to become inflamed, tender, and likely to bleed.
- Periodontitis
The plaque will harden into tartar over time. As plaque and tartar build-up along the gum line, the gums normally begin to recede from the teeth. Pockets can eventually form between the gums and teeth, becoming filled with bacteria and pus. The gums will become further irritated, inflamed, and bleed easily. At this point, there could be slight to moderate bone loss as well.
- Advanced Periodontitis
Continued deterioration of the gums, bone and periodontal ligament normally leads to loss of support for the teeth. Without treatment, the affected teeth can become very loose and there is a greater chance of teeth falling out. There could also be moderate to severe bone loss in the jaw during this stage.
Gum Disease Treatment in Markham
There are several types of periodontal treatment methods available, depending on the type and severity of the disease. If caught in the early stages, preventive therapy will normally be recommended.
Otherwise, your treatment will fall into one of the following categories:
- Non-Surgical Gum Therapy
Non-surgical gum therapy may be able to reverse mild forms of gum disease. This is essentially a deep cleaning process performed by a dental hygienist. The hygienist might also perform a scaling and root planing process in which plaque and tartar that have formed around and below the gum line will be scraped away and any rough areas left behind smoothed out.
- Surgical Gum Therapy
More advanced forms of gum disease may require more invasive surgical treatments to reverse the effects. Your dentist should discuss the different options available for surgical gum therapy, including flap surgery, guided tissue regeneration, tissue grafting, and bone grafting.
- Post-Treatment Maintenance
At the completion of a patient's periodontal treatment, our dental team strongly recommends regular dental examinations and preventive therapy. Typically four times per year. Practice good oral hygiene and maintain preventive therapy to try and control periodontal disease and prevent further complications.
