What Is Gum Disease?

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is when bacteria infect the space between your teeth and gums. As when bacteria attack your teeth, creating cavities, gum disease leads to an expansion of this space, making room for more bacteria.

Gingivitis is the term for mild gum disease. It isn’t a threat to your teeth or your overall health. It is a concern mostly because it might become more serious. We call the more serious gum disease periodontitis. Periodontitis is a threat to your teeth and your overall health.

What Causes Periodontal Disease?

There are essentially two components to gum disease: oral bacteria and your body’s response to infection.

In early gum disease, bacteria drive the effects. Colonies of bacteria, the main component of plaque, can harden into tartar, which can shelter oral bacteria. These bacteria attack your gums and eventually the bone that supports your teeth, creating more room for bacteria to grow.

As periodontal disease worsens, your body responds ever more aggressively to the infection. Your immune system not only attacks the bacteria, it attacks your bones, too, trying to root out the infection. As a result, some people develop autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks your joints.

Several factors create conditions suitable for gum disease, including:

  • Poor oral hygiene
  • Smoking
  • Hormonal changes
  • Medications
  • Genetics
  • Poor oral hygiene
  • Smoking
  • Hormonal changes
  • Medications
  • Genetics

Poor oral hygiene allows bacteria to flourish on your teeth and gums. If you don’t remove plaque regularly, it will harden into tartar, which one of our Houston hygienists will remove at your preventative dentistry appointment.

Smoking leads to dry mouth, which encourages the growth of bacteria (your saliva has antibacterial properties). Smoking also affects the species of bacteria in your mouth, so you might have more harmful types.

Hormonal changes can affect your body’s response to bacteria. Women often develop more noticeable periodontal disease during pregnancy.
Medications can lead to dry mouth and may affect your body’s response to infection.

Finally, it seems that there’s a genetic component to gum disease. If your parents had serious periodontal disease, you are more likely to get it, too.

woman with happy, healthy smile

Symptoms of Gum Disease

People may overlook gum disease symptoms at first or think they are normal. However, you should talk to your Houston dentist if you experience:

  • Red, swollen or tender gums
  • Bleeding gums
  • Food stuck between teeth and gums
  • Bad breath
  • Receding gums
  • Tooth sensitivity
  • Loose or drifting teeth
  • Red, swollen or tender gums
  • Bleeding gums
  • Food stuck between teeth and gums
  • Bad breath
  • Receding gums
  • Tooth sensitivity
  • Loose or drifting teeth

Your gums shouldn’t hurt or bleed when eating or brushing your teeth. If they do, it’s an early symptom of gum disease. Another early symptom is getting more food stuck in your gums, such as popcorn husks or chips. Chronic bad breath could be linked to oral bacteria in the space between your teeth and gums. If you notice these symptoms, you might try improving your oral hygiene habits and making an appointment with your Houston dentist.

More serious symptoms such as receding gums, tooth sensitivity, and loose or drifting teeth, may indicate periodontitis. You should try for an appointment with your dentist at the earliest opportunity.

Treating Periodontal Disease

There are many potential gum disease treatments. Depending on the state of your teeth and gums, your Houston dentist might recommend:

  • Oral hygiene changes
  • Antimicrobial therapy
  • Scaling and root planing
  • Laser gum treatment
  • Gum surgery
  • Oral hygiene changes
  • Antimicrobial therapy
  • Scaling and root planing
  • Laser gum treatment
  • Gum surgery

If we detect gum disease early enough, you might be able to treat it just by changing your oral hygiene. Learning a better brushing technique, changing your tools, or just performing oral hygiene more often might be enough to protect your gums. Don’t start using mouthwash unless your dentist recommends it.

Other times, oral hygiene isn’t enough to kill the bacteria, so your dentist might recommend antimicrobial therapy, which applies antibiotics directly to your gums.

Scaling and root planing involves cleaning out the bacteria from around your teeth, then smoothing the damaged roots of your teeth. This makes it harder for bacteria to shelter there and helps your gums stick to your teeth.

Laser gum treatment helps us remove more bacteria from the space around your teeth. Your Houston dentist might recommend it instead of or in addition to scaling and root planing.

If you have severe periodontal disease, you might need gum surgery. Gum surgery procedures might include pocket reduction surgery, gum grafts, and bone grafts. Guided tissue regeneration can help improve the effectiveness of grafts, or your dentist might recommend it instead of a graft.

Get Gum Disease Treatment in Houston

If you have symptoms of gum disease, don’t let it threaten your teeth and your health. The Houston dentists at Stephens & Gatewood Dentistry are here to help.

Please call (281) 320-2000 or use our online form to request an appointment at our two locations serving the Houston area from Spring, TX.