Cosmetic Dentistry Directory Blog

Last week, this space talked about gum disease and how it begins. Now let’s look at how it progresses. Gum disease does progress indefinitely as long as nobody stops it. Gum disease has two main stages and the early stage is called gingivitis. The later stage is called periodontitis. So far we have been looking at gingivitis.

Symptoms of Gingivitis

When inflammation is not stopped, infection sets in. When plaque is not removed, it hardens into tartar. Tartar cannot be brushed off and it becomes stuck to the tooth base, against the gums. The plaque and tartar irritate the gums and bacteria and their toxins (excretions) enter the gum tissue, causing symptoms:

• Bleeding gums
• Gum redness
• Tenderness when touched
• Gum swelling
• Mouth sores

There will probably also be an unpleasant odor.

Tooth Destruction

As bacterial acidity eats into tooth enamel, cavities form. As bacteria spread down on to the tooth roots and their acidity eats through the root, decay enters the tooth’s interior space – the chamber and the root canal.

In here are the tooth’s nerves, its blood vessels, and connective tissue. When acidity starts to destroy the nerve, you have a toothache. It is a sensory nerve and transmits pain messages to the brain. When the nerve is entirely destroyed, it cannot transmit any messages and the toothache will “stop”. It will not really stop. The decay will continue but now you have no nerve to tell you about it.

A toothache sends most people to the dentist. Decay is far more extensive now that it was to start with and the damaged tooth will need at least a filling, and perhaps a crown. It might even need a “root canal” – a cleaning out of the root canal and filling it with dental cement. You can have a decayed tooth without having gum disease but gum disease will always involve tooth decay.

All of these problems can be prevented by good dental hygiene. It is simply a matter of keeping bacterial numbers down, using whatever products and methods work. Please see Dental Technology: New Materials And Devices for ideas on good dental hygiene.

Next week this space will look at advanced gum disease, known as periodontitis. Meanwhile, if you are in the Boston or Braintree areas in Massachusetts and would like to consult with a highly-trained dentist, please visit Pinnacle Dental Aesthetics. To find a good dentist in other areas, please contact us today or use the map below.