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Gum Disease

Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, Oakleaf, Orange Park

Gum disease is not something to take lightly. Even though it may not seem very serious at first, it can progress to serious dental problems, tooth loss, and even problems with your overall health. Research studies have established a connection between gum disease and heart disease, stroke, and other health conditions, and these connections become more definite as research continues.

Gum disease causes

Poor dental hygiene most often causes gum disease, but other contributing causes include:

Genetics
Poor nutrition
Misaligned bite
Excessive gum tissue
Diabetes
Weak immune system
Hormonal changes

If your gum disease is partly caused by a misaligned bite wearing down the tooth enamel and/or crowded teeth that are hard to clean, Dr. Blankenship can correct these problems with neuromuscular dentistry and perhaps use of Invisalign aligners.

Understanding gum disease

Bacteria are always present in the mouth and will always feed on food particles. Feeding enables them to thrive and multiply, and in greater numbers they spread into more crevices. Their acidic excretions eat into tooth enamel just as anything acidic does – sugar, citrus juice, cola drinks. A downward cycle eventually establishes itself:

Bacteria spread into small crevices
Their acidity destroys tissue, enlarging the crevices
Their excretions constitute debris in the mouth which causes inflammation
Larger crevices enable bacteria to multiply and increase their numbers, leaving more debris and allowing inflammation to progress to infection
More bacteria invade more crevices or enlarge existing ones and leave even more debris
And so on, indefinitely, unless good dental care brings it under control

Gingivitis developing into periodontitis

Most people are familiar with gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease. You might notice redness, puffiness, and bleeding of the gums when you brush. These are symptoms of gum infection and left untreated, gingivitis progresses to a more severe stage called periodontitis with:

Bacteria spreading further below the gumline and creating deeper pockets between gums and teeth
Decay spreading to the tooth roots and then into the tooth root canals, which will cause toothache when the nerves are decaying
Bacteria entering the bloodstream and potentially causing infection elsewhere in the body
Decay starting in the jawbone itself, loosening teeth and perhaps causing them to fall out

It can take some time to get severe gum disease under control and keep it from flaring up, but mild gum disease is easily treated if you follow up at home with good daily hygiene.

Gum therapy

Dr. Blankenship will use the soft tissue laser to clean out the bacteria and damaged tissue. He may also do root planing below the gum line if there is a lot of tartar. You may have several such treatments depending on how severe your gum disease is.

One of the many advantages of using the laser is that it stimulates the gums to heal themselves. It seals the tissue, virtually preventing bleeding and infection, and causes faster production of new cells to replace the removed tissue.

If you have an irregular gum line in your smile, Dr. Blankenship will draw on his cosmetic dentistry skill as he does this work and reshape the gum line for better symmetry.

If you have red, irritated, or painful gums, we can help. Please contact us today to schedule your gum therapy consultation in our Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville, Florida office.