How Gum Disease Progresses

A leading cause of tooth loss, gum disease consists of three primary stages. If detected early, it can usually be treated very successfully with gum disease laser therapy in Sugar Land, TX , possibly preventing tooth loss. But if left unchecked, it can do substantial damage to your teeth, gums, and even the bone structure supporting your teeth. However, if you stick to regular dental checkups and practicing excellent oral hygiene, gum disease can usually be prevented. As to how gum disease progresses, the following is information about its stages and symptoms.

Gingivitis

The early stage of gum disease, gingivitis affects the soft tissue of your gums. Early on, you may not even notice any discomfort or problems. Gingivitis is characterized by such symptoms as gums that are swollen or bleeding, receding gums, increasing amounts of space between teeth, and experiencing bad breath or a metallic taste in your mouth. If you don’t do anything about gingivitis it will almost certainly progress to periodontitis eventually. The good news is that at this stage, gum disease is reversible with treatment from your Sugar Land, TX dentist..

Periodontitis

The second and most advanced stage of gum disease, periodontitis will impact not only your gums but also the bone structure supporting your teeth. If you have not had regular dental checkups, it’s a good bet that once periodontitis is discovered, it will already have progressed to the moderate stage. When this happens, you’ll experience noticeable discomfort, have more parts of your gums become inflamed, have teeth that start to loosen and find your gums are receding. If you notice that teeth are shifting from their normal position, gaps are appearing and you have spots of inflammation on your gums, book an appointment with your Sugar Land Dentist right away.

Advanced Periodontitis

If your gum disease gets to the advanced periodontitis stage, it is very likely that you will lose some of your teeth. When this stage occurs, you will have painful abscesses in your mouth, resulting from an infection that has spread underneath your gums. Urgent dental treatment is essential at this point.

Rather than put yourself through this unnecessary pain and subsequent tooth loss, make getting regular dental checkups with your Sugar Land, TX dentist a top priority. By doing so, you’ll keep your gums healthy and prevent major tooth loss.