Gum Disease Treatment

Gum Disease During Pregnancy

Many mothers have experienced gum disease, dental pain, and/or tooth extraction during or shortly after their pregnancy. This is often seen as being a "normal" side effect of being pregnant. However dental disease, which is an infection of the teeth and/or gums, is not "normal" for any patient.

There are three basic events that happen during pregnancy which make the patient more susceptible to dental disease.

1. First, hormonal changes may make the gums more susceptible to gum disease.
2. Second, pregnant women tend to eat smaller, more frequent meals, exposing their teeth and gums to sugars and acids more often.
3. Third, cravings for junk foods and inadequate oral hygiene pose an increased threat to the teeth and gums.

Pregnant women are advised to schedule a dental evaluation and receive preventive dental care at Kneib Dentistry. Personalized oral hygiene instruction by Dr. Kneib will be given to fight disease and promote overall good health for the mother and her baby.

Infections in Joint Replacements Can Be Instigated by Severe Gum Disease

Prior to joint replacement, Dr. Kneib strongly recommends a thorough dental examination for the presence of tooth and gum infection.

Periodontal disease is a commonly occurring oral infection of the adult population (80% of adults are affected) destroying the bony support of the teeth. This infection slowly progresses over the lifetime of the patient and is often manifested in the advanced stage in the senior population.

Because of the lack of any discomfort to the patient until the total loss of bony support to the teeth, many adults are unaware that they have this infection. However, the bacteria from this bone destroying disease, especially in the more advanced cases, have been attributed to possible infection of joint replacements.

Candidates for joint replacements who have not been seen by Dr. Kneib in over a year should consider a thorough dental evaluation of their teeth and gums before surgery.

Depending on the severity of the infection, treatment of gum infections and tooth abscesses may take from two weeks to two months before the patient reaches adequate health before surgery.

Periodontal Gum Disease—Silent and Deadly

Periodontal disease can go on for years without pain and without detection unless specific examination procedures are performed.

Visual oral examination by itself (even by a dentist) will not reliably detect periodontal disease until it has reached an advanced stage.

Early detection and adequate diagnosis require measurement of pockets (the crevice between the tooth and gum) with a periodontal probe. At Kneib Dentistry, effective prevention and treatment is available, but the damage caused as the disease progresses is irreversible.

Early detection is critical to prevent tooth loss and disfigurement. Although the procedure is simple and requires only a few minutes, millions of American adults have never had it done.

Some signs of periodontal disease are:

• Bleeding gums
• Redness of gum tissue
• Swelling of gums around the teeth
• Breath odor
• Receding gums
• Mobility of teeth

Some Dental Problems are Easy to See—Plaque!

One of the easiest problems to spot is a build-up of plaque. Plaque is the soft, sticky layer of bacteria, which is constantly forming on the teeth.

Usually, it is invisible to the naked eye, but when a person is not brushing adequately, it can build up to where it appears to be a thick whitish coating on the teeth at the gum line. If not removed, it can lead to gum disease.

Another potential problem, which is easy to spot, is missing teeth. Many patients assume that if they are still able to eat, they are OK.

But very often, losing just one tooth can lead to the loss of support, and teeth begin to drift into the empty space, causing a change in the bite. It also forces the remaining teeth to carry an additional load, sometimes past their ability to adapt. In most cases, when even one tooth is lost, the remaining teeth suffer and are more likely to be lost as well.

Gum and Bone Disease That Go Undetected

Prevention is an overused word in our vocabulary, but we all know it works. You see it in what you do every day. Who wouldn't rather prevent a crisis than manage one?

Awareness of gum and underlying bone disease is very low. Only 50% of the population visits a dentist on a regular basis. Of that 50%, 80% have some degree of gum and bone disease. It is an epidemic. Were this any other disease, we would be calling on the CDC for immediate action!

Oral Disease—Gingivitis

Gingivitis is the most common periodontal disease, affecting 90% of the population, including our local Erie area community. It is an infection of the gums caused by bacteria that form plaque.

In small amounts (when it is newly formed), plaque is invisible and relatively harmless. But when left to accumulate, it increases in volume and the proportion of harmful bacteria grows.

These bacteria release toxins that result in inflammation of the gum tissue. Eventually, the plaque hardens and forms hard deposits called calculus or tartar.