Nearly
half of Americans
over the age of 30 are suffering from periodontal disease. While some of these have mild or severe cases, the vast majority have moderate cases of periodontal disease.
How do you know if you have this condition? What should you do about it?
We're going to answer all those questions and more, so you can take action to improve your dental health. Keep reading to find out some of the common signs of periodontal disease.
What is Periodontal Disease?
Before we jump into the signs of periodontal disease, let's take a moment to define what it is.
Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums, also known as periodontitis. While it primarily affects the soft tissues, it can also damage the bone which supports your teeth.
Despite being so common, periodontal disease is easily preventable by proper oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist. Fortunately, these same steps will also help cure it.
Signs of Periodontal Disease
Here are some of the most common signs of periodontal disease. The sooner you recognize that you may need treatment, the better your chances of recovering quickly and without lasting damage to your mouth.
1. Swollen Gums
If your gums appear to be swollen, this is one of the signs of periodontal disease. As the infection attacks your gums, they become inflamed as your body tries to fight it.
Most of the time, if it gets to the point where you're able to see the swelling in your gums, it's a moderate to severe case. That's why you should keep an eye out for the other symptoms on this list which can appear earlier in the course of this disease.
2. Painful Chewing
As periodontal disease attacks the part of your teeth that are within your gums, it can make them more sensitive. As you chew, you then feel that pain in your gums or teeth.
Sometimes, painful chewing in just one or two teeth may indicate other dental concerns such as cavities. However, if it's throughout most of your mouth, there's a good chance it's periodontal disease.
Either way, you'll want to get it checked out and diagnosed as soon as possible.
3. Sensitive Gums
When your gums hurt while eating or brushing your teeth, it's a sign that there's an underlying infection. Another common sign is that your gums bleed easily. This is because they've become sensitive while fighting periodontal disease.
Gums may be sensitive only when eating certain foods. For example, foods that are hot or cold. Or, they may be sensitive when eating foods that are spicy which can burn your infected gums.
4. Receding Gums
One way that swelling gums manifests is by receding. If your teeth look longer than usual or you can see your gums are higher up than they used to be, these are both signs that they're receding because of periodontal disease.
Gums recede because the flesh has been damaged. And, unlike other parts of your body, your gums
won't grow back
. For that reason alone, it's vital to seek treatment as soon as you suspect you might have periodontal disease.
5. Loose Teeth
This is another sign of periodontal disease that has gone on for a while. As the disease attacks the root of your teeth, they can become loose. So, if you feel like your teeth are loose and have other symptoms on this list, that's likely the cause.
If periodontal disease is left to run its course, you may even end up losing teeth because the root and surrounding flesh have become too damaged to hold your teeth in place anymore. This could lead to you needing
dental implants
.
6. Bad Breath
When you have an infection in your gums, no amount of breath mints is going to cover it. In fact, they may even make it worse as the sugar in them can feed the bacteria that's causing the periodontal disease.
If you have chronic bad breath or notice your breath smells particularly rancid even after brushing your teeth, an infection could be to blame. The smell will be similar to something rotting because that's more or less what's going on.
7. Discolored Gums
Healthy gums are a nice fleshy shade of pink. If your gums are red, purple, black, or even just streaked with one of those colors, these are all signs of periodontal disease.
The red discoloration in the gums is first caused by the reaction of your body to fight the disease. As it progresses, you may see it turning purple or black as the blood supply to your gums is cut off by swollen flesh.
What to Do If You Have Periodontal Disease?
The best thing you can do for yourself and your mouth if you notice any of these signs of periodontal disease is get to a dentist as soon as possible.
As we already discussed, periodontal disease can lead to tooth loss if left untreated. However, that's not the only thing that can happen if you don't take care of periodontal disease when the earliest symptoms appear.
Something else that can happen is a blood infection. Bacteria builds up in your gums, and can then make it into your blood-stream. A blood infection is a serious medical emergency that may require a lengthy hospital stay.
Once you make an appointment with your dentist, there are some more things you can do to jumpstart the healing process:
● Brush your teeth at 2 - 3 times per day
● Floss at least once a day
● Quit smoking or using tobacco
● Limit your sugar intake
● Use a
natural mouthwash
● Switch to a soft-bristle toothbrush
These are also things you'll want to do to prevent periodontal disease from returning, so getting yourself into these habits now will help you improve your health for the rest of your life.
Need to See a Dentist?
As you can see, periodontal disease is something that requires immediate action. Letting it continue for too long puts you at risk for tooth loss and blood infections.
You need to get yourself to a dentist as soon as you recognize any of these signs of periodontal disease.
Contact us today
to set up an appointment so you can get this taken care of before it gets any worse.
