Just as skin prevents bacteria from entering your body, healthy gum tissue acts as a barrier, preventing bacteria from entering your body. When bacteria destroy gum tissue, as the case in gum disease, the barrier is no longer effective and bacteria now have a direct route into your body! Bacteria and their toxins enter damaged blood vessels that run through your gums. Once inside these vessels, they travel through your circulation where they are capable of causing more severe health problems including:
Premature pregnancies: Recent research has shown that mothers with periodontal disease are seven times more likely to deliver pre-term, low-birth-weight infants. This finding reinforces well-documented observations that infections during pregnancy increase the risk of premature births. A woman considering pregnancy should visit her dentist to treat gum disease before pregnancy starts.
Stroke and Heart Attacks: An ever-growing body of research links advanced gum disease and the occurrence of heart attacks and strokes. In studies conducted in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, and Germany, researchers found that people with advanced gum disease also had a 25 percent to 100 percent increased risk of suffering from a heart attack than those without advanced gum disease. A similar relationship exists between advanced gum disease and the development of strokes.
Gum disease is the major cause of about 70 percent of adult tooth loss and affects three out of four persons.
The warning signs of gum disease include red, swollen or tender gums, bleeding while brushing or flossing, gums that pull away from teeth, loose or separating teeth, pus between the gum and tooth, persistent bad breath, change in the way teeth fit together when you bite, and a change in the fit of partial dentures.
To prevent gum disease, you should visit your dentist every six months at least for an overall exam. Also you should brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss teeth daily at home.
For more information about gum disease, please call Dr. Sun at 661-799-8800 or visit her dental office at 23450 Lyons Avenue, Suite B in Newhall.