Routine Dental Care Can Prevent Gum Disease

Our Irvine dental office can provide you with routine dental care to help prevent gum disease. While most people understand the importance of preventing cavities, few consider gum disease as a major issue. While it does not directly give you a toothache and can go unnoticed, it can have significant health consequences.

At first, gum disease can make your gums swell, become red, irritated, and even bleed. While inconvenient, the symptoms are not particularly alarming. However, if it is allowed to remain untreated, your gums can start to recede or pull away from your tooth structure. This is problematic because it leaves your teeth and roots exposed and more susceptible to attack by bacteria. Many people suffer from bone loss as a result, and eventually, this can cause tooth loss. This process is what makes gum disease a leading cause of adult tooth loss. Fortunately, we can help by providing patients with ongoing dental care.

Routine Dental Care for High Risk Patients

We recommend that our patients visit us once or twice a year for a teeth cleaning and dental examination. These appointments allow us to remove the plaque and tartar from on and around the teeth so both tooth decay and gum disease is less likely to occur. There are some patients, however, who require additional care because they are more likely to experience gum disease. This includes diabetic children. In this scenario, blood flow to the gums can be restricted. In diabetics, there is the additional risk of developing the disease due to uncontrolled blood sugar.

After a diabetic episode, the white blood cells will be inhibited and unable to fight off infection like normal. This combined with restricted blood flow can result in gum disease. This is why we suggest that diabetics visit the dentist after an episode. Otherwise, your child could suffer from cavities, infections or gum disease where a non-diabetic child may be able to fight off the infection. It is not worth the risk, and so we recommend that diabetics visit us at least twice a year for a teeth cleaning and more if they have frequent episodes.

Routine Dental Care for Kids

Children should also receive routine dental care. Many parents think that since their children have baby teeth, they do not need to visit the dentist as often. In reality, children can develop cavities and gum disease just like adults can. While they are typically at less of a risk for gum disease, it is entirely possible, especially if they are not brushing often or properly or if they are not under the care of a dentist. We can clean their teeth on a regular basis (twice a year) and remove plaque before it can build up and cause gum irritation or tooth decay.

To learn more about routine dental care and how to stay healthy, give our Irvine office a call.