If you have gum disease, then the most obvious benefit of treating it is stopping the condition from destroying more of your gums. In the long-term sense, this means a reduced risk of tooth loss due to advanced gum disease. However, preserving your smile isn’t the only long-term benefit of treating gum disease. Besides being the most common cause of tooth loss, progressive gum disease is also a notably high risk factor in a number of chronic health conditions. Therefore, treating it as early as possible can benefit your overall health as well as your smile.
What Gum Disease Does
Gum disease, or periodontal disease, is a chronic infection in your gums caused by harmful oral bacteria. Among many things, this infection leads to persistent inflammation in your gums, which eventually destroys the soft tissue and affects the integrity of your underlying jawbone.
What Is Scaling and Root Planing?
When gum disease first develops, the condition is known as gingivitis. Marked by red and swollen gums, gingivitis can often be detected early during a routine dental examination. To treat it, your dentist can carefully remove the harmful bacteria from underneath your gums—a process known as scaling and root planing. After removing the bacteria, your dentist will carefully scale the roots of your teeth to make it more difficult for bacteria to cling to them.
Avoiding the Consequences of Gum Disease
When left untreated, gum disease causes increasingly more severe inflammation and tissue damage, which can lead to the loss of one or more teeth. It can also lead to a significantly higher risk of issues related to chronic inflammation, including heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.
Learn More About the Importance of Gum Disease Treatment
Treating gum disease early with ultrasonic scaling and root planing can help you avoid serious oral health complications as well as improve your systemic wellbeing. To learn more, schedule an examination with your dentist by calling Modern Dentistry of Shrewsbury in Shrewsbury, MA, today at 508-842-8838.
