General Health Information

Plaque is the major cause of periodontal disease. What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease is a serious threat to your oral health. Red, sore,
and bleeding gums are the first symptoms of what is periodontal
disease. This can lead to even worse infections in the gums and the
bone that holds the teeth in place. If the infection gets worse, your
gums may pull away from your teeth, making your teeth eventually fall
out! Good oral hygiene is the best prevention against what is
periodontal disease because it kills bacteria and prevents further
infection in your gums.

The earliest stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. This is an
inflammation of the gums, which may cause swelling, tenderness and
bleeding when brushing or flossing. The best way of preventing gum disease
is preventing plaque from building up in the mouth. Preventing gum
disease is the only way to make sure that gum disease doesn’t develop.
Excellent daily oral hygiene is the best way of preventing gum disease.
You can be preventing gum disease by following a routine to remove
plaque every day and cleaning between teeth. This prevents plaque from
building up on tooth surfaces and under the gum line.

Many factors and behaviors can put a person at more risk of gum disease than other people. Smoking and gum disease
go together. Current smokers are four times more likely than people who
have never smoked to have periodontitis, but ex-smokers who had
abstained for 11 years faced no increased risk, according to the
findings published in the Journal of Periodontology . Overall, nearly
53 percent of gum disease in the study was attributed to current and
former smoking. Smoking and gum disease are linked. Smokers need
superior oral hygiene to prevent smoking related gum disease.

We all have heard how smoking is bad for your lungs and other systems of your body. Now recent studies in smoking and periodontal disease
have shown conclusive evidence smoking can cause periodontal disease.
Smoking and periodontal disease are linked. Smoking is a major cause of
periodontal disease and eventual tooth loss. Research on smoking and
periodontal disease shows that smokers loose more teeth than nonsmokers
do. Another study of smoking and periodontal disease shows that current
smokers don’t heal as well after periodontal treatment as former
smokers or nonsmokers. These effects are reversible if smokers kick the
habit before beginning treatment. Smokers have a special need for good
oral hygiene to prevent smoking related periodontal disease.