Why Early Treatment of Gum Disease Can Make All the Difference

You know you need to brush and floss your teeth to prevent cavities, but there’s another important reason. Good oral hygiene helps prevent gum disease. You might not know that gum disease is the No. 1 cause of tooth loss among American adults. 

Gum disease, like other diseases, progresses in stages. The good news is that you can reverse early gum disease. In its later stages, called periodontitis, you need expensive treatments to be able to keep your teeth, and even then you might lose teeth if you’ve waited too late to start treatment. 

At the private practice of board-certified dentist Thomas Eaton, DDS, we teach you correct brushing and flossing techniques and recommend products that help lower your risk of gum disease. If you have gum disease, Dr. Eaton provides expert treatments to remedy it. 

How does gum disease happen? 

Here’s how gum disease begins and progresses unless you take preventive steps.

Step 1: Plaque

You can’t avoid a sticky substance called plaque inside your mouth and on your teeth. It’s a mixture of bacteria, saliva, and sugar. When these elements combine, they create a film that sticks to your teeth. 

If you don’t brush and floss the plaque away, it can erode your tooth enamel and can introduce cavities and produce a substance called tartar. 

Step 2: Tartar

Plaque can develop into tartar on your teeth within 24-72 hours or even sooner if you have crowded or crooked teeth or wear braces. Tartar is a hard substance that you can’t remove by brushing and flossing. Only professional dental cleaning tools can remove tartar. 

Step 3: Gum disease

Gum disease damages your gums, bones, and teeth and ultimately causes tooth loss. There are four stages of gum disease. 

Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease. Plaque and tartar that you don’t brush away are under your gums. The bacteria produce inflammation. Your gums may be red or swollen and begin to bleed when you brush your teeth. 

Mild periodontitis is the next stage. The bacteria under and around your gums cause your gums to separate from your teeth, creating pockets that hold plaque and tartar. You may begin to lose some bone. 

Bone loss continues with moderate periodontitis. The plaque and tartar continue damaging the tissues supporting your teeth. 

If you have severe periodontitis, you have chronic bad breath, your gums are infected around the gum line, and you may have loose teeth from bone loss. 

Early treatment of gum disease works 

Dr. Eaton lets you know if you have early gum disease. He and our staff work with you to explain what you can do to stop gum disease in its tracks. 

Good oral hygiene

If you’re skipping your oral hygiene routine, we remind you to brush at least twice a day and floss at least once a day along with using mouthwash. Following this routine day in and day out removes plaque and prevents tartar before the situation deteriorates and becomes gum disease. 

If you don’t use mouthwash, start using it after brushing and flossing. If you’ve never tried a tongue scraper, try using one to scrape your tongue after brushing to remove the film of bacteria remaining on your tongue. 

If you smoke, have diabetes, use birth control, or are pregnant, you’re at higher risk of gum disease. We may recommend a special mouthwash to reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth. 

Dental checkups can eliminate early pockets of bacteria

Have you skipped a dental checkup? Seeing Dr. Eaton at least two times per year is essential to help prevent gum disease. Your toothbrush can’t reach plaque and bacteria in the pockets that develop when you have mild periodontal disease. 

During your dental checkup, we eliminate tartar and clear out any pockets of bacteria if you have them. We may also put a topical antibiotic under your gums after cleaning the tartar or we may place an antibiotic chip in your gums to heal the pockets. 

For expert dental care, call our Ione, California, office or request an appointment through our online portal today.