Highlands Ranch Family Dental truly cares about how your dental health affects your body and overall health. Read more about how your dental health affects you.
Ways Your Dental Health Affects You
Periodontal Disease
From a young age, people are taught about the importance of taking care of their teeth. They are taught to brush and floss to prevent cavities and decay from occurring. Of course, cavities and decay can lead to painful toothaches, which are something that everyone wishes to avoid. Unfortunately, however, poor oral hygiene can ultimately lead to much more than a toothache and some painful visits to the dentist. This can cause you to lose your teeth.
Those with periodontitis may have loose teeth, tooth loss, a change in tooth spacing, pus between teeth and gums, as well as bad breath and swollen gums. This form of gum disease can lead to serious discomfort in the mouth, which may affect a person’s ability to chew and eat normally. Advanced gum disease can also affect a person’s overall health. In recent years, there have been links discovered between heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory disease and periodontitis. To prevent periodontitis from occurring and increasing the risks of these diseases, regular dental checkups and cleanings are a necessity. Those who have periodontitis will need to be treated by a periodontist who specializes in treating advanced gum disease.
Gingivitis
Gingivitis is a common disease of the gums that results from poor oral hygiene. It is a form of gum disease that if left untreated can progress to more serious periodontal disease. Gingivitis begins when plaque hardens into tartar beneath the gum line. Gingivitis in its early stages may cause individuals to have gums that bleed when brushing or are red and swollen. Their teeth may be sensitive to hot and cold foods, and they may have bad breath that does not go away. In advanced stages, gingivitis can cause teeth to become loose as the infection causes the gum and the bone to separate. This can cause a person to lose an infected tooth as well as nearby teeth. Although gingivitis is painful in itself, the health of the mouth can also affect other areas of the body. Advanced gum disease, which often first begins with gingivitis, has been linked to health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. To treat gingivitis, proper oral hygiene must be practiced in addition to the treatment advised by a dentist or periodontist. If gingivitis is detected early, it is often fairly easy to treat and no permanent damage is done.
Regular Visits to the Dentist
While brushing and flossing are your main defense against tooth and gum disease, they cannot be a substitute for regular visits with your dentist. Your dental professional has been trained to identify issues such as plaque and tartar build-up – which cannot be removed by brushing – and use special tools to scrape and polish your teeth back to a pearly white. They also inspect your head, neck, face, throat, and tongue for any unusual changes such as swelling, and look for any signs of cancer. Although a visit with a dentist may be uncomfortable for some, the benefits most certainly outweigh the risks of not going.
Schedule Your Appointment Today
Give us a call today at 303-346-4495 or email us at [email protected] to schedule your first visit. We would love to work with you toward a better, brighter smile.
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