Gum Disease

Gum disease or gingivitis is the preliminary stage of periodontal disease. At the stage of gingivitis, there is a mild inflammation or swelling of the gums. The patient may notice abnormal redness of the gums and slight bleeding at the time of brushing or flossing the teeth.

Gum disease is more prevalent than what most people would like to think. As per the available statistics, almost 75 percent of the population can expect to have gum disease at some stage. In some cases, the reasons for this disease may be genetic. Caucasians, in particular, have a 30 to 40 percent chance of being genetically predisposed to it. People with diabetes or heart disease are also candidates for gum disease.

The difficult part of gum disease is that most people are unaware of it or ignore it until it becomes serious. The symptoms are not very obvious at the outset, so for an average person there is no way to identify the disease early. Therefore, the best preventive measure against gingivitis and periodontal disease is to make periodic visits to the dentist for general dental exams. A dentist is a professional who can diagnose the disease at its earliest stage and treat it properly.

If left untreated for a long period, gum disease can deteriorate into periodontal disease. At that stage, the gum line recedes with creation of pockets of 4 mm, 5 mm or more. The teeth appear longer because the root of the tooth almost gets exposed. It shows that the gum tissue and the bone are being eaten away by the infection.

Dr. Alison Schwartz is a recognized expert for treating periodontal disease. She uses advanced treatments such as Perio Protect, which is an FDA approved medical device to clean the gum tissues. This treatment is highly effective on most patients and results in the reversal of the disease within two weeks.

Scottsdale Periodontal Disease - What is Periodontal Disease?