Of all the dental problems people can face, gum disease is among the sneakiest, most insidious of them all.
That’s because it can slowly creep in and take effect over time, undetected to the untrained eye until it’s too advanced to cure.

To prevent that, it helps to not only know the facts about gum disease, but also to visit Shook Dental Care on a routine basis for cleanings and exams.

The Sneaky Stages Of Gum Disease

Let’s first look at the sneaky stages of gum disease so you can be on the lookout!

*Gingivitis*

With routine dental cleanings and exams, your dentist can catch gum disease in its earliest stage, which is known as gingivitis. You may have already noticed signs like bleeding gums when you brush and floss, and perhaps some tenderness, but the infection hasn’t had a chance to cause permanent damage to your gum tissues.

*Periodontitis*

Without intervention from your dentist, gingivitis can turn into periodontitis, which is what you definitely want to avoid. That’s because this is the advanced stage where infection has taken hold inside your mouth, darkened your gums, made them tender and swollen, and eventually, begin the recession that will ultimately loosen your teeth.

What Gum Disease Can Steal From You

When it reaches the point of obvious symptoms that you can see and feel, gum disease is responsible for much more than discomfort.

Here are some of the things gum disease can steal from you:

*Total Body Wellness*

Perhaps the most often overlooked threat of gum disease is what it can do to your overall health. Science continues to pour out study after study that proves a connection between gum disease infection and heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even chronic depression. That’s because the infection can enter your bloodstream through your mouth and cause mass systemic chaos as it spreads throughout your body.

*Healthy, Pink Gums*

Gum disease infection causes your gums to turn red, stealing the healthy, pink glow your gums are supposed to have. Given enough time without treatment, they can become darker and darker, as well as more susceptible to bleeding.

*Fresh Breath*

Once the infection kills your gum tissues, you’ll notice an obvious foul odor that brushing, flossing, and breath mints can’t quite mask. So persistent bad breath is just another symptom of this devastating periodontal disease.

*Your Smile*

Gum disease leads the pack in tooth loss causes because it pulls your gums away from your teeth, leaving them unstable. Without intervention, your tooth can loosen and fall out in a domino effect as the infection spreads. What’s left, among the many oral health problems, is an unsightly smile.

How We Treat Gum Disease

Depending on how advanced your periodontal infection is, we’ll choose the gum disease treatment that will optimize the chance for a successful outcome.

That might require our advanced laser gum therapy where we’ll comfortably administer painless treatment so your gums are clean of any infection and have a chance to heal.

We can also perform scaling and root planing, which simply gets deeper under your gumline to remove harmful plaque and tartar buildup to heal and rejuvenate your gums.

Schedule An Appointment

Instead of reacting to visible symptoms of gum disease, you’re much better off taking a proactive approach to your oral health by scheduling routine dental cleanings and exams. That way Dr. Shook and our skilled team can provide the necessary preventive treatments to protect your mouth from harmful bacteria, as well as spot gum disease in its earliest stages of development so it doesn’t get out of control.

Call Shook Dental Care today at 310-982-6333 or fill out our online form to request an appointment so we can help you prevent and treat gum disease for a healthier smile and body!