3 Gum Disease Questions That You Should Know The Answer To

17 July 2018
Categories: Dentist, Blog

Having gum disease is a problem that should not be overlooked, even if there are no signs that you have it at the moment. This is because half of all adults in the US have gum disease, so your odds of getting is are essentially a coin flip. Here are some common questions about gum disease that you should know the answer to in case it happens to you.

1. How Can Gum Disease Be Prevented?

The best thing you can do to prevent gum disease from setting in is to take care of your oral health. It is not enough to simply brush your teeth twice a day but to do a good job at brushing to get rid of the plaque. Dentists recommend that you brush your teeth for two minutes each time, but it also needs to be quality brushing.

Don't just focus on the tops of the teeth, but brush along the gums as well. In fact, your toothbrush should be overlapped so that it is part on your teeth and part on your gums. This will help get the plaque out that is stuck under the gumline, which can be a cause of gum disease.

Making changes to your diet can help as well, which includes eating healthy foods that are not filled with sugar. Without a convenient way to brush during the day, chances are high that sugar will sit on your teeth until the evening.

2. What Are The Treatment Options?

There are a couple of ways that gum disease can be treated. Your dentist may recommend tissue regeneration, which involves putting a graft onto your gums to help reinforce them. Laser treatments can also help remove the pockets on your gums that cause gum disease to form. If you have early signs of gum disease, these treatments can help prevent the problem from getting worse than it already is.

3. Are Treatment Options Expensive?

Your dentist can let you know what the exact cost of a gum disease treatment will be, but you should be able to have part of the cost covered by insurance. The total cost can be as high as $10K in some situations, or as cheap as $500. It all depends on how early you caught the problem with gum disease and what kind of treatment is used.

For answers to more questions about gum disease, be sure to schedule a consultation with a dental office like Milner Dentistry.

About Me

When I was a child and teenager, I always left the dentist's office with the great feeling of having no cavities. When I went away to college out-of-state, I had to switch to a new dentist in my area. It seemed like I was suddenly getting cavities and started wonder what my new dentist "was doing wrong". When I spoke to my mother about it, she reminded me that the reason I never had cavities when I was living it home was because she always made sure my siblings and I brushed and flossed daily and didn't eat too much sugar. I then realized that my late-night study sessions drinking sugary soda and my suddenly bad brushing habits were the true causes of my cavities. I have since learned a lot more about dental health I am eager to share with anyone who needs the advice!