General Health Information

Aside from proper oral hygiene such as brushing and flossing, nutrition
and your health plays a vital role in effective gum disease prevention.
Battling gum disease symptoms and gum disease causes
can be easier with the help of nutrients. Boost your immune system to
ward off and decrease bacteria infections. You can support gum health
by taking enough amounts of Vitamin A and E, riboflavin, selenium, and
zinc. Bleeding, inflamed or irritated gums can be reduced with proper
vitamin C and other antioxidants. Calcium and magnesium are two key
minerals that can help prevent bone loss and support the teeth and
gums. Having a healthy body and maintaining superior oral hygiene is
the best balance to fight off dental threats, especially gum disease.

People have been informed of the importance of flossing to further
fortify dental health against possible infections and disease such as
gum disease. Plaque build-up is the leading cause of gum disease,
but brushing won’t be enough to keep it from taking over your teeth and
gums. Flossing can prevent plaque develop in between teeth that regular
brushing can’t reach. One thing people should take in mind is the
proper technique of flossing in between teeth to get the best results
and to effectively prevent plaque build-up. Regular brushing can still
be unable to stop plaque if it is not done in the right manner. Ask
your dentist about how flossing should be done. This also helps you
prevent hurting your teeth and gums.

Nutrition greatly affects oral health since it deals with the right
food a person should take to become healthy and keep away from oral
health problems. In many cases, obese people are more likely to face
increasing risk of gum disease, as suggested by a new research.
Researchers found out that obesity may make a person vulnerable to the
bacteria that cause gum disease. Excessive body fat or obesity and gum disease are already linked to a range of health problems like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, sleep disorder and bone loss.

The older often advise the young children not to eat too much candy for
it will rot their teeth. But as an eye-opener for the older ones, the
incidences of cavities and gum disease
of the senior group even outpace the young. Gum disease and tooth decay
(cavities) are the most frequent causes of tooth loss. In fact, older
adults may have new tooth decay at higher rates than children, The
older we get, the more our gums begin to march a slow retreat. We also
need to watch out for more than tooth decay and gum disease - we need
to go on the offensive to proactively care for the whole mouth. Oral
troubles can cause pain, problems with chewing or swallowing,
complications with other health issues such as diabetes, heart disease,
and more. We really don’t have to lose teeth as we get older, nor
should we assume that’s a normal part of aging. The experts have spoken
loud and clear: take care of your mouth just like you would any other
part of your body.

Having gum disease can greatly increased your risk of having a heart
attack or stroke because the bacteria-rich plaque, the main gum disease cause,
that builds up on your teeth releases toxins into your bloodstream that
can inflame your arteries and cause small blood clots. Aside from heart
disease, there are other health problems linked to gum disease such as
pancreatic cancer, respiratory diseases, kidney disease, diabetes,
rheumatoid arthritis, stomach ulcers and even pregnancy complications.
Factors like smoking, age, genetics, medications, deficient diet,
hormonal changes and diabetes may also increase the risk. Brushing,
flossing and having regular dental checkups however would be your best
defense against gum disease.

Gum disease develops to people because they simply don’t keep their mouths clean. Several factors causing gum disease include:
* Smoking
* Age
* Genetics
* Medications
* Deficient diet
* Hormonal changes
* Diabetes
To keep your gums healthy, it actually takes only about five minutes a
day. Some simple and familiar ways you can take the bite out of gum
disease are brushing, flossing, proper diet and getting dental checkups
regularly.

During severe cases, surgical treatment for gum disease might be
advised. More studies especially long-term studies will be needed to
find out whether using medications reduces the need for surgery and if
using medications is effective over a lengthy period of time. If
inflammation and deep pockets remain after treatment with medications
and deep cleansing, a periodontist may have to perform flap surgery
which is a common surgery involving lifting back the gums and removing
tartar. The gums, then, are sutured back in place, so that the tissue
fit tightly around the tooth again. Sometimes, in addition to flap
surgery, a periodontist might suggest tissue or bone grafts, to replace
or encourage new growth of gum tissue or bone that have been destroyed
by periodontitis. A technique called guided tissue regeneration, which
is a tiny piece of mesh-like fabric inserted between the gum tissue and
the bone, can be used in bone grafting, as it will prevent the gum
tissue from growing into the area where the bone should be, thus
allowing the connective tissue and the bone to grow again. Each case is
different, and it is not possible to predict for sure which grafts will
be successful over long term. The results of treatment depends on many
factors, such as the severity of the disease, some risk factors for gum disease
such as smoking, the ability to maintain at home oral hygiene. It is
best to ask your periodontist what might be the level of success in
your particular situation. It is also advised to get a second opinion,
when considering extensive dental treatment, by calling for instance
your dental society, which can provide you with the names of
practitioners in your area.