Periodontal Disease

What is periodontal disease?

Periodontal disease, also called gum disease, is a condition affecting the health of your gums. It damages the soft tissues around your teeth and can eventually destroy the bone supporting your teeth. Without treatment, periodontal disease may lead to tooth loss. While common, gum disease is often preventable. See Dr. Parhizkar at the first sign of a problem.

What are the signs and symptoms of periodontal disease?

Periodontal disease can lead to:

• Bright red gums
• Gum tenderness
• Receding gum line
• Puffy or swollen gums
• Pus between your gums and teeth
• Painful chewing
• Bad breath
• Bleeding gums
• Bone loss
• Loose permanent teeth
• Permanent tooth loss
• New spaces between your teeth
• Change in your bite

Gum disease often develops over time because of plaque and tartar buildup within the teeth caused by genetics and/or lifestyle habits.

What are the risk factors for periodontal disease?

Gum disease risk factors include:

• Skipping routine dental appointments
• Poor at-home oral care practices
• Smoking
• Chewing tobacco
• Recreational drug use
• Hormonal changes
• Obesity
• Genetics
• Poor nutrition, particularly a low vitamin C intake
• Weakened immune system
• Some medications
• Diabetes, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or other chronic diseases

Seeing your dentist regularly and maintaining good oral hygiene habits (daily flossing, brushing after meals, etc.) at home lessens the risk of periodontal disease. 

How is periodontal disease diagnosed?

To diagnose gum disease, Dr. Parhizkar discusses your dental history, reviews your symptoms, and examines your teeth and gums. He assesses the results of your dental X-rays and measures your gum pockets to determine if you have periodontal disease and how severe it is. 

How is periodontal disease treated?

Your personalized gum disease treatment plan depends on the severity of your condition and may include:

• Professional dental cleaning
• Scaling and root planing
• Oral or topical antibiotics
• Medicated mouth rinse
• Pocket reduction surgery
• Soft tissue grafts
• Bone grafting
• Tissue-stimulating proteins
• Guided tissue regeneration 

It’s also important to maintain healthy brushing and flossing habits at home, attend six-month dental exams and professional teeth cleanings, use mouth rinse if asked to, and avoid smoking. Advanced Family Dentistry also offers tooth extraction and dental implants when necessary. 

Schedule a visit with Dr. Parhizkar at Advanced Family Dentistry by calling the office or using the online booking feature today.