Your teeth look great, but what about your gums?

When most people think about their dental hygiene, they instinctively think about tooth decay, teeth cleaning and teeth whitening.

You’re probably no exception. When you’re thinking about your teeth, you’re pondering whether those shiny, pearly whites are healthy enough. The thing you may not be thinking about is the underlying structure that holds your teeth in place.

Most people forget that their gums are just as important as their teeth. That’s why so many people are surprised when they find out that they’re suffering from gum disease, something that’s hard to treat. Unlike tooth decay, gum disease is much harder to solve. It can be more painful than a toothache, more damaging than impacted wisdom teeth, and can act as a highway for teeth to become abscessed if left unchecked.

What is Gum Disease?

Periodontal disease, or gum disease, is one of the most frightening things that people can wake up to. It occurs as the cumulative result of improper dental hygiene, or as the result of underlying conditions combined with a lack of good dental care. The best way to understand it is to consider a topic that you probably already know something about, plaque. Plaque is the bacteria that resides in your mouth. It can result in tartar on your teeth, one of the chief reasons for them to decay.

What you may not know is that this same bacteria can erode the fleshy part of your mouth, your gums.  This happens when bacteria becomes trapped between your teeth and your gum line. It buries itself into pockets that eventually grow larger. As time progresses, it wears down both the pink part of your gums and the underlying bone structure. This results in more bacteria in these larger pockets.

Get your gum disease treated

You’ve learned what gum disease can do. It can cause your teeth to fall out, your gums to bleed and your mouth to smell awful.

The good news is that it can be treated.  With proper treatment and care, and by being dedicated and adhering to Dr. Provenchers’ advice, your symptoms can be alleviated and further damage can be prevented. Some of the damage may even be reversed and the depth of pockets may be reduced.

The best way to learn about gum disease and the treatments associated with it is to contact Kelowna’s Dental Solutions. The first step to recovering is to be informed.