Periodontal disease starts when tartar and bacteria under the gum line lead to infection (overgrowth of bacteria.) As your body fights the infection, your gums will become inflamed (irritated, red, swollen.) Pockets form between the tooth and gum, making plaque harder to remove. As the disease advances, bone damage occurs and can lead to tooth loss.
One way to check for gum damage and bone loss is to measure how deep the pockets are. To do this, an instrument, like a tiny ruler in millimeters, is gently inserted between the tooth and gum. Deeper pockets indicate more severe disease and act as reservoirs for bacteria, plaque, and tartar. Bacteria produce poisons that continue to erode away your bone and gum tissue. The poisons also enter your blood system increases your risk for disease.
In the process, we will also measure the amount of tissue recession around each tooth. Tooth recession can also be stopped and corrected with tissue grafting procedures.
Contact us our front office if you are interested in an Occlusal Evaluation to see how we can help you. We look forward to serving your dental needs.
