Our teeth tend to get much more attention than our gums. Since the gums aren’t the prominent part of the smile, they can be overlooked. It's time to improve periodontal awareness! Your gums are actually an important source of support – and a crucial part of your overall oral health. 

When your gums are in trouble, they’ll start to show some signs of impending problems. Pay close attention to your gum line and you’ll be able to respond right away. Early periodontal treatment will help prevent serious damage from taking hold.

Early Signs of Gum Disease

When your gums are healthy, they should not look dark in color, swollen, or feel tender. They should be pink, smooth, and tight around the teeth. If you notice your gums bleeding when you floss, don’t panic: this is more likely a result of infrequent flossing, rather than disease. If you haven’t been flossing daily, your gums can bleed slightly when you take regular flossing up. The discomfort should fade within a week of consistent oral hygiene (and if it doesn't, then there may be a bigger problem).

Diseased gums are a different story. When your oral hygiene isn’t sufficient, plaque begins to build up on your tooth surfaces and tooth roots. The presence of additional bacteria causes your gums to become irritated and inflamed. At this point, you are experiencing gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease. When your gums are beginning to suffer, you may start to see a few changes taking place in your mouth. If disease is allowed to progress, these will intensify. The most common include:

• Red or purple gums
• Tender, painful gums
• Gums that bleed easily (often when you floss or brush)
• Swollen, puffy gums
• Loose-feeling teeth
• Receding gums
• Gums pulling away from your teeth, with pockets forming between them
• Sores in the mouth
• Pus at the gum line
• A change in your bite

Gum disease is a particularly sinister dental problem because it can advance without betraying symptoms (taking a silent hold). For this reason, it’s absolutely necessary that you schedule regular dental exams. If the signs of disease aren’t apparent enough for you to notice them on your own, Dr. Scotto will be able to pinpoint problems and take action.

Why We Strive to Detect Periodontal Disease ASAP

As gum disease advances, it damages your teeth, gums, and bone. The gum line will recede and change, altering your smile. Your teeth will lose support and feel loose or shift, making your bite uncomfortable. If the disease becomes serious, tooth loss could occur. By catching gum disease early on, we can prevent these problems. Treatment will be less invasive, and there will be a lower chance of gum disease returning.

Periodontal Treatment in Schenectady

Exactly what does periodontal disease treatment entail? The first step will be something similar to a standard teeth cleaning. Scaling and root planing, also referred to as deep cleaning, remove plaque from teeth and tooth roots (below the gum line). SRP is typically accompanied by local anesthesia, so that patients don’t experience discomfort. Patients may also benefit from the use of antibiotics to help prevent the return of disease.

Post-periodontal disease, patients need to take a few extra precautions. There will be a certain oral hygiene regimen to follow that may involve medicated mouthwash or special flossing practices. We will outline everything you can do to fight recurring problems. You may need to visit our office more frequently in the future, so that we can monitor for signs of returning problems.

If you ever have questions about your periodontal health, we would love to help. Simply contact our office for answers.

Schenectady Periodontal Treatment | Schenectady Gum Disease | Schenectady Periodontal Disease

What to Expect from Your Periodontal Treatment

Any new form of dental treatment can be a little intimidating. For those who are experiencing gingivitis or periodontal disease for the first time, an appointment to deal with these problems carries apprehension. What will happen during periodontal treatment? This week's blog post from our Schenetady dentist is a refresher course on periodontal disease, the areas it affects, and how periodontal treatment will repair damage that has been done. By educating yourself as to what will happen during your periodontal treatment, you give yourself valuable preparation that will find you calm and comfortable during treatment.

What is gingivitis?

Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums. It is the preliminary stage of gum infection that can lead to full-on periodontal disease. Patients with gingivitis will likely have swollen, inflamed, bleeding, and sore gums. Catching gum problems at the gingivitis stage makes treatment simpler. If you are experiencing the aforementioned symptoms, contact your dentist right away.

What is periodontal disease?

When gingivitis progresses, the soft tissues of the mouth become infected by harmful bacteria. Periodontal disease (also called periodontitis) affects the gums and the teeth. It can lead to gum recession, tissue loss, decay, loose teeth, bone loss, and tooth loss. For this reason, we're serious about treating periodontal disease in a thorough and prompt fashion.

What does periodontal treatment entail?

Periodontal treatment removes disease from affected areas of the mouth. This typically means scaling and root planing, which may be accompanied by antibiotics (taken orally or placed in periodontal pockets) and gum surgery.

What are scaling and root planing? Are they painful?

Scaling is actually something that takes place during every one of your dental exams with our Schenectady dentist. It's simply bacteria and plaque being scraped from your teeth. Root planing is scaling that targets areas below the gum line. Depending on the severity of your infection, we will employ local anesthesia or dental sedation to ensure that you feel nothing during scaling and planing. We may treat your mouth in sections, spread over multiple appointments, to minimize discomfort. After your periodontal treatment, your gums will heal and you will find the effects of disease have retreated.

Our Schenectady dentist will answer any questions you may have about periodontal treatment. If your gums are in pain, don't hesitate to contact our office and begin the healing process.