healthy-heart-5Did you know that taking care of your heart involves looking after your gums? This is because gum disease can bring about serious heart problems when left untreated. Studies have linked heart attacks to gum, or periodontal, disease. Periodontal disease means the presence of bacteria in the mouth, that when ingested can cause clots and blockage in the circulatory system. While researchers are continuing studies about the link between your oral health and heart, it is best to take care of your teeth and gums at all costs. Take advantage of periodontal therapy. This dental treatment can save you not just from gum disease but also life threatening heart diseases.

How Do I Know if I Need Periodontal Therapy?

You will know if periodontal therapy is necessary when you start noticing abnormality in the gums. Bleeding gums is a sign of periodontal disease, as well as gum soreness and bad breath. Receding gums, teeth that loosen up, the presence of pus on your gums, and changes in your bite patterns are also signs of gum disease. When these symptoms start to manifest, visit your dentist immediately for dental checkup and gum disease diagnosis and treatment.

I Don’t Have the Symptoms you Mentioned, But My Doctor Says that I Need Periodontal Therapy. Why is this so?

There are patients who do not feel or notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms. Gum disease can be a silent worker that causes damage on your teeth and gums. It is, therefore, important to visit your dentist every 6 months for oral checkups. Your dentist can detect gum disease at its early stages, and then recommend periodontal therapy when necessary.

What is Periodontal Therapy?

Periodontal therapy is the safe, effective, and non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease. Gum disease happens in 2 stages: gingivitis being the first stage, while the second stage is called periodontitis. Both stages need immediate treatment to prevent damage to the teeth and gums, as well as heart problems. Gum disease is easier to treat in its early stage than when it has developed further and caused damage, possibly permanent. The key is to achieve and maintain good oral hygiene, as gum disease feeds on bacteria present in the mouth.

Root scaling and planing are the basic periodontal treatments that your doctor may perform on you. It is a non-surgical process of gum treatment that deeply cleans the periodontal pockets; thereby removing bacteria in the gums. In this treatment, calculus, or hardened plaque, is removed from the teeth and below the gum line. This essentially alleviates pain and inflammation caused by gum disease. Root scaling and planing are effective in treating mild cases of periodontitis.

Visit Your Dentist Today for Gum Disease Evaluation and Periodontal Therapy

Prevent the onset of gum disease by visiting your dentist. You do not need to feel symptoms to benefit from periodontal therapy. It is a treatment that essentially cleans your gums thoroughly, ridding them of bacteria and preventing the buildup of plaque on your teeth and below the gum line. Recieving periodontal therapy also means that you’re taking care of your heart. This beneficial treatment is available at Buckhead Dental Partners in Atlanta, GA. Call (404) 261-0610 to set your appointment with periodontal therapy expert, Dr. Jeffery Ballard!

Image Courtesy Pinterest