If you have an advanced stage of gum disease, you know how devastating to oral health it can be. Left unchecked, gum disease will destroy your connective tissue attachment and periodontal tissues. It’s aninfection that can cause pain, tooth mobility, and tooth loss.
More than “just” an oral 
disease, the pathogenic bacteria present in gum disease are also associated with systematic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and some cancers. And, in the ultimate catch-22, gum disease may make diabetes worse and diabetes may be a risk factor for gum disease.
If you have gum disease, periodontal therapy is offered as a first line of defense. Depending on the stage of infection, therapy can involve root planning, scaling, soft tissue grafts, bone grafts, and more. Recommendations for periodontal therapy are an attempt to stop the inflammatory process going on in your mouth.
We understand your desire to smile with confidence. We know when you seek treatment, you want to see results. But honestly, results from periodontal therapy can range from healing your tissue, to regenerating some of your tissue. An advanced stage of gum disease, in particular, can pose challenges. When gum disease is advanced though therapy can regenerate some of the tissue, it offers a limited potential in attaining complete restoration. To heal gum disease, you must start with what is and move forward with a plan. After all, gum disease affects more than just your teeth.
You see, in a healthy mouth, bone and tissue serve as the foundation that keep your teeth in position. In a diseased state, that structural foundation is not only weakened, it contributes to chronic inflammation throughout your body.
Chronic inflammation that starts in your mouth can affect your systematic health significantly. Periodontal disease an infection that has no problem sharing its pathogenic microbial markers with heart disease, diabetes, stroke and certain cancers. In your teeth, it can progress to deeper infections that weaken the supporting tissue and bone structure resulting in tooth loss.
According to two recent studies, missing teeth from periodontal disease may be associated with poor outcomes in stable coronary heart disease and, may actually predict cardiovascular events, diabetes and death.
Having 5 or more teeth missing was associated with 60% to 140% increased hazard for incident coronary heart disease events and acute myocardial infarction. Incident cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and death of any cause were associated with 9 or more missing teeth.
The second study’s finding agrees, saying,
Self-reported tooth loss predicted adverse cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause death independent of cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic status.
Any level of gum disease can improve with periodontal therapy; it is your best option for healing. And, treatment tends to be more successful the sooner gum disease is addressed.
But know this, even if you come in for every appointment, periodontal therapy isn’t likely to cure gum disease by itself. You must be actively engaged if treatment is to be successful. We can help you discover how to manage the factors that support optimum healing. Controlling plaque, curtailing smoking habits, improving dietary choices, reducing stress and getting exercise are critical to healing. When we together, you will have the best option for reversing gum disease.
