Gum Disease in Berkley

In its initial stage, this disease appears as gingivitis, which is the only reversible stage of gum disease in Berkley. At Contemporary Dentistry Berkley, our dentists treat gum disease in Berkley aggressively in order to help restore and maintain our patients’ oral health. If you think you may be experiencing gingivitis symptoms or any stage of gum disease, contact us right away to get it treated as quickly as possible; this is the best and easiest way to treat the condition. The sooner a gum infection is treated, the easier it is to treat. By the same token, the longer you wait to get gum disease in Berkley treated, the harder it is to treat, and the more extreme, pervasive and painful the gum disease symptoms become. Delaying treatment ill also increase your chances of experiencing some form of permanent damage.

Causes of Gingivitis

Gum infection is most commonly the result of poor dental hygiene. If you fail to brush and floss regularly and see your dentist in Berkley for regular, routine cleanings and exams, a sticky film filled with bacteria known as plaque accumulates on your teeth. Over time, this plaque converts into a substance known as tartar, which is much harder and therefore more difficult and painstaking to remove. Plaque and tartar irritate and inflame the gum tissue leading to signs of gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease.

The best cure for gingivitis is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Fortunately, however, if it does occur, it is relatively easy to treat. If, however, gingivitis develops into periodontitis, the infected gums can pull away from the teeth, diminishing the role they serve to hold the teeth in place. This can lead to teeth becoming loose and, eventually, falling out. In fact, periodontal disease is the top reason Americans over 35 years old loose teeth.

Signs of Gum Disease

You may actually have a gum infection for a long time before noticing any gum disease symptoms. As gum disease develops without gingivitis treatment, however, gingivitis symptoms start developing, including:

• Red, swollen or sensitive gums
• Unusual taste in the mouth
• Bad breath
• Bleeding gums when brushing or flossing
• Gums pulling away from the teeth’s base
• Loose teeth
• Abnormal gaps between teeth
• Pus visible between the gums and teeth
• Inflammation in pockets at the gum tissues’ base

Your Berkley dentist will recognize that you are experiencing gum infection upon noticing these signs of gingivitis and recommend prompt gingivitis treatment.

Gum Disease Stages

As mentioned earlier, gum disease in Berkley progresses through several stages, each with signs more severe than the next with more dangerous gum disease symptoms and greater difficulty treating.

1. Gingivitis

In the earliest stage, you may have minor bleeding from brushing or flossing. Generally, there’s no pain yet associated with these symptoms.

When these minor symptoms of gum disease are the only ones present, the chances of finding a gingivitis cure quickly and completely before it progresses into something worse are greatest. At Contemporary Dentistry Berkley our talented Berkley dentists can detect and help you manage the earliest gingivitis symptoms with the proper gingivitis treatment before the condition develops into a more serious stage of gum disease. That's why reversing gum disease and implementing a gingivitis cure at this stage is so important.

2. Periodontitis

If you fail to address signs of gingivitis quickly enough, the condition can progress into the second stage of the disease, known as periodontitis. By not finding a gingivitis cure in time, the supporting tissues and bone securing your teeth in place can experience permanent damage. At the gumline, you start to develop periodontal pockets that start trapping food and bacteria-laden plaque, further exacerbating the condition. At this point, your dentist must employ more aggressive tactics for reversing gum disease, restoring oral health and preventing the condition from advancing any further.

3. Advanced Periodontitis

This is the final stage of gum disease, when the tissues and bone helping to secure your teeth in place become destroyed. In this stage, your teeth may shift positions, become loose and even fall out. This can impact your bite, speech, appearance and overall oral health. What’s more, if you don't find a gum disease cure while in the advanced periodontitis stage, the infection can spread to other parts of the body outside of the mouth and cause damage to other bodily organs and systems.

To avoid these severe consequences, you must get gum disease treatment during its earlier stages before it progresses this far. Once periodontitis has progressed into advanced periodontitis, other restorative treatments may be necessary after the cure is completed in order to restore full function to your teeth and mouth.

Treating Gum Disease

Are you experiencing any of the symptoms of periodontal disease described above? If so, contact our dental office in Berkley as soon as possible to set up an appointment with a dentist who can help you identify and treat the problem as quickly and fully as possible. We want to help you find a gingivitis cure right away.