How well a person performs their oral hygiene has a direct affect on other parts of the body. This is especially true when it comes to gum disease. We provide comprehensive care and education to our San Bruno patients to help them establish lifelong habits which will lead to a healthy mouth and body.
In dealing with gum disease, we teach our patients proper brushing and flossing techniques that encourage and maintain healthy gums. We also review alternative techniques to keeping the mouth clean for those patients who hate to floss.We want our patients to understand the reasons why it is so important to fight off gum disease as well as to recognize the signs of unhealthy gums.
Gum disease is a condition caused by the growth of bacteria in the mouth. Genetic factors, smoking, diet, and how your body responds to bacteria all play a role in the severity of gum disease.There are over 500 different types of bacteria in an average persons mouth and eleven of these bacteria cause the most damage. Like high blood pressure, gum disease is a silent disease until it causes severe damage. If not addressed gum disease will break down healthy gum tissue and melt bone structure, teeth then become loose and drift, and the final outcome is tooth loss. The state of a person’s gums directly affects the overall health of the body, affecting blood glucose levels as well as cardiovascular and respiratory health.
Warning signs of unhealthy gums are:
- Pain in the mouth
- Tender or swollen gums
- Bleeding while eating, brushing, or flossing
- Persistent bad breath
- A strange taste in the mouth
- Sores in the mouth
- Teeth becoming loose or gums separating from the teeth
- A change in the way teeth fit together when chewing
- A change in the way partial dentures fit
Gum disease, in our San Bruno practice, is addressed individually with each patient. We have state of the art protocols that will comfortably help you preserve and maintain your smile. We use new saliva tests to accurately diagnose which bacteria is causing the problem and can also identify if you have a genetic predisposition to gum disease. We have advanced training in treating patients with diabetes. Call us at San Bruno Center for Dental Medicine, Dr. Parker will customize a proper treatment to save your smile.
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