Risk Factors for Gum Disease

A great way to promote good oral hygiene is by understanding gum disease. Even in cases of a mild infection, this causes a lot of discomfort. However, as the disease worsens, it creates significantly more serious problems. For you and your family, learn the signs, symptoms and risk factors of gum disease.

Seeking help

When it comes to certain dental problems, people often have varying symptoms. However, for gum disease, almost all patients experience most of the same things. The only difference is the severity of the symptoms based on the severity of the infection. By seeking help, a dental professional can bring the infection under control. Paying attention to the signs and symptoms also reduces the risk of a patient losing bone and teeth.

Signs and symptoms of gum disease

Early on, an individual would develop bad breath. As gum disease worsens, they would notice increasingly swollen and red gums. If left untreated, the gums would begin to bleed. This occurs most often when eating something hard or crunchy and brushing.

Eventually, the person’s gums would become extremely sore. Even the slightest touch would be enough to cause significant pain. In the most severe cases, a patient would experience bone, gum tissue and tooth damage. At that point, a dentist needs to take more aggressive action to bring the infection under control.

Risk factors

Along with noticing a variety of signs and symptoms of having gum disease, everyone should understand the risk factors. Knowing what these are can help an individual avoid developing this oral disease. As with other dental issues, prevention is always better than treatment. Following are some of the things that put a person at risk for developing gum disease.

• Genetics
• Poor oral hygiene
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Certain medications
• Stress
• Genetics
• Hormonal changes
• Poor Nutrition
• Compromised immune system
• Other illnesses like active Perio disease and connective tissue

Interesting facts

The way in which risk factors present for gum disease vary according to the patient. However, they all work in similar ways. First, there is an increase in the levels of biofilm, which increases the bacteria in the plaque. This is usually the result of poor oral hygiene, faulty dentistry and consuming too many carbohydrates.

Second, a person’s body may lack the ability to respond correctly. That means a patient’s system no longer has the capability of dealing with a high level of bacteria. There are several risk factors that cause this to occur. Included are diabetes, medication, hormonal imbalances, compromised immune system and stress.

Regular checkups

Seeing a dentist for scheduled examinations goes beyond checking for cavities. During an exam, the dental professional looks at the patient’s gums. Doing that makes it easy to identify the onset of gum disease. If detected and regardless of how severe the case, a patient has several treatment options.

Along with seeing a dentist, it is important for people to follow a good oral hygiene regimen. That entails brushing and flossing after every meal, including snacks. It also consists of rinsing with a mouthwash that contains fluoride. This is an ideal opportunity for parents to teach their children about taking care of their teeth. Along with fewer cavities, that reduces the risk of developing gum disease.

Take good care of your teeth

At the first sign of trouble, schedule an appointment with your dentist. However, to prevent unnecessary trips, pay attention to the risk factors of gum disease. If one or more of these applies to you, talk to your dental professional. The optimal goal is to achieve and maintain healthy teeth and gums.

Request an appointment here: https://durangodentistry.com or call Durango Dentistry at (970) 422-3263 for an appointment in our Durango office.

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