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Periodontitis, or periodontal disease, develops when the bacteria on your teeth and gums is not removed with regular brushing, flossing, and professional teeth cleanings by your family dentist. The first signs of early-stage gum disease (or gingivitis) are swollen, tender gums that bleed easily, painful chewing, tooth sensitivity, and bad breath. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, contact Trillium Dental to schedule an appointment in Ottawa, or continue reading to learn more.

GINGIVITIS TREATMENTS

We are fortunate to live in a time where dental technology is quite advanced and dental treatments are becoming more widely available. Thanks to these technological advancements, many patients with gingivitis can reverse their symptoms with thorough brushing and flossing in addition to thorough dental cleanings. Not only that, but today’s dentists are now able to offer the following gingivitis treatments for patients who are exhibiting mild gum disease:

• Root planing. Root planing, or root scaling, is a dental technique that your dentist uses to scrape plaque and tartar away from the gum line during your teeth cleaning appointment. Over time, bacteria turns to plaque, which calcifies into hard, sticky tartar that can only be removed via root planing. If ignored, tartar eats away at the tooth enamel and causes inflammation of the surrounding gum tissue, which leads to gum disease. However, when tartar is professionally removed, it gives the teeth and gums a chance to heal.
• Gum lasering. Gum lasering is the next step in treating gingivitis. This non-invasive dental treatment involves lasers killing the bacteria along the gum line as well as removing any dead or diseased tissue. By ridding the area of disease, this method encourages the gums to reattach to the surrounding teeth rather than continuing to recede. Gum lasering can also reduce your chances of having to undergo a more extensive gum disease procedure down the line, like periodontal surgery.
• Crown lengthening. Crown lengthening procedures are performed if the surrounding teeth do not have enough surface space for the gums to attach to (as is often the case for patients with a “gummy smile”). Sometimes, this happens when teeth are broken or if a dental filling comes undone, leaving a damaged or decayed tooth exposed. If this is the case, your dentist will use a laser to contour the gums in order to expose more of the tooth surface so that the gums can reattach themselves to a clean, bacteria-free surface.

It is important to note that these gingivitis treatments are not meant to recover bone loss and may not fully restore the gum tissue that holds the teeth in place. This is where more involved periodontal treatments come into play, which aim to remove dead tissue, prevent further damage, and help the mouth tissue start to heal.

Read More: Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)

ERIODONTAL TREATMENTS

Periodontal treatments are for patients who have moderate to severe cases of gum disease that require more extensive procedures. Often, these treatments involve oral surgery with local anesthesia, so patients typically have a longer recovery time. One of the main periodontal treatments used today is called a gingivectomy, which is a surgical procedure that involves the complete removal of dead gum tissue. Periodontal disease is harder to reverse in severe cases, but this is a good option for patients who are willing to commit to establishing a better oral health care routine with frequent trips to the dentist for professional teeth cleanings.

BOOK A GUM DISEASE TREATMENT IN OTTAWA

The longer your gum disease symptoms persist, the harder they will be to treat and reverse. If you think you are developing any of the symptoms listed in the beginning of this post, we highly recommend that you visit our family dental clinic right away. Contact us by phone, or book an appointment online at one of our eight dental offices in Ottawa.

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Gingivitis is the earliest stage of gum disease, which can progress into periodontitis (periodontal disease) if it goes untreated by your family dentist. However, it’s not all bad news if you start to notice the signs and symptoms of gingivitis — in fact, many patients are able to reverse gingivitis if they take the right precautions and maintain good oral hygiene habits at home. At Trillium Dental in Ottawa, we provide gum disease treatments for patients who are suffering from gingivitis or periodontitis, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have symptoms. That being said, here are some steps to take if you have early-stage gum disease.

VISIT YOUR LOCAL DENTIST

We are fortunate to live in a time where we have access to all kinds of information at the touch of a finger, but this often leads people to self-diagnose when it comes to dental problems like gingivitis. However, if your gums start to cause you pain, looking up your symptoms is a good place to start. The most prominent symptoms of gum disease in its onset are gum recession (revealing more of your teeth, making them look longer), inflamed gums that are red, tender, and bleed easily, loose teeth, painful chewing, heightened tooth sensitivity, and bad breath that doesn’t go away with normal brushing and flossing. If you have one or more of these symptoms, it’s time to visit your family dentist for a professional teeth cleaning and full dental exam.

ADJUST BRUSHING & FLOSSING HABITS

If your dentist concludes that you are developing gingivitis, they will discuss treatment options with you in order to help reverse the damage it has done to your teeth and gums. Most often, gingivitis is a result of poor oral health, whether that be neglecting to brush and floss, not visiting the dentist, smoking cigarettes, binge drinking, or a combination of these factors. When plaque builds up on your teeth and gumline due to negligence, it turns into tartar, a calcified deposit that eats away at the tooth enamel and can only be removed with specialized dental tools via tooth scaling. Then, it’s up to you to maintain good brushing and flossing habits to keep the plaque at bay. Ideally, you should be brushing your teeth at least twice per day (for a duration of two minutes), as well as flossing daily.

INVEST IN ANTIBACTERIAL TOOTHPASTE & MOUTHWASH

When you visit our Ottawa dental clinic, our dentists may recommend an antibacterial toothpaste and mouthwash if you have gingivitis. These oral health products help to fight bacteria and plaque throughout the day and night for long-lasting protection. Bacteria can hide in spaces that are hard to reach, like along the gumline and between crowding teeth, and an anti-gingivitis toothpaste and mouthwash can help eliminate it. If you are interested in learning more about gingivitis treatments and over-the-counter oral care products, our dentists and dental hygienists would be happy to discuss this with you at your next Emergency Dentist appointment.

BOOK YOUR NEXT DENTAL EXAM IN OTTAWA AT TRILLIUM DENTAL

Of course, prevention is key when it comes to gingivitis, tooth cavities, and other painful dental problems. So, make sure to prioritize your oral health with regular visits to the dentist and thorough brushing and flossing, as well as limiting the sugary foods that feed harmful mouth bacteria and turn into plaque. At Trillium Dental, we care about your oral health, and our dentists are here to aid in gingivitis prevention and provide gum disease treatments for our patients. Contact us today for more information, check out our eight locations in Ottawa, or book an appointment online!

In part one of this blog series, we discussed some of the main causes of gum disease (also referred to as periodontitis or periodontal disease), including poor oral hygiene, a sugar-filled diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking cigarettes. At Trillium Dental in Ottawa, we regularly treat patients who are suffering from gingivitis and periodontal disease, which is why we are dedicating this post to helping you recognize the symptoms and risks of gum disease so you can catch it before it progresses into a life-threatening illness. That being said, here are some of the main signs of gingivitis, or early-stage gum disease.

SYMPTOMS OF GUM DISEASE

While there are many painful symptoms of gum disease, not all of them are apparent during its onset, otherwise known as gingivitis. During the routine teeth cleanings at your local dental clinic, the dental hygienist will remove any plaque and tartar buildup in what we call a “tooth scaling” or “root planing” procedure. This painless dental treatment helps us identify whether you are experiencing any tooth decay or gum inflammation due to early-stage gum disease, whether you’ve noticed it yet or not. Oftentimes, patients don’t even know they have tartar buildup along the gumline until they visit us for a general dentistry appointment, while others will notice beforehand due to these common signs and symptoms of gingivitis:

• Gum recession
• Gum inflammation
• Red, tender gums
• Bleeding gums (especially when you floss and brush your teeth)
• Loose teeth
• Pain when chewing
• Tooth sensitivity
• Perpetual bad breath

Aside from maintaining good oral hygiene habits and making regular trips to your family dental clinic, being aware of the signs and symptoms of gingivitis is the first step in gum disease prevention. There are a number of serious health risks associated with periodontitis, and many of these are preventable with early periodontal treatments, such as root planing, gum lasering, gingival grafts, gingivectomies, and crown lengthening procedures. However, the effectiveness of these gum disease treatments depends on how early you catch the disease before it progresses and becomes less treatable.

HEALTH RISKS OF GUM DISEASE

If you have a gum infection or disease like periodontitis and the gum tissue is punctured or bleeds spontaneously (as is often the case in patients with gingivitis), the bacteria gains direct access to the rest of your vascular system via the bloodstream. This greatly increases your risk of having a stroke, in addition to the following health conditions:

• Coronary heart disease
• Diabetes
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Pancreatic cancer

Victims of periodontal disease are also at a greater risk of having preterm or low-birthweight babies, as the bacteria can cause an increase in inflammation throughout the body. This is because the inflammation caused by gum disease puts excessive stress on your body’s vital organs, in addition to spreading the disease through the vascular system, which can wreak havoc on your body.

CONTACT TRILLIUM DENTAL IN OTTAWA TO BOOK A PERIODONTAL TREATMENT

Our dentists and dental hygienists at Trillium Dental firmly believe that the key to gum disease prevention is practicing good oral hygiene habits and making regular trips to the dentist for professional dental cleanings. Contact us today to learn about our gum disease treatments and general dentistry procedures, or book your appointment with us online.