Gum Disease

Painlessly Treat Gingivitis In Buena Park, CA

Gum Disease, Buena Park, California

Nearly half of all Americans over 30 years old have periodontal disease. This number only continues to grow with age, with over 70% suffering from it by age 65. What is gum disease? It is an inflammation (and, later, infection) of the gums caused by dental plaque and tartar collecting below the gum line. Early gingivitis can develop in just 3 days of missed brushing and flossing, showing itself with warning signs like painful, swollen gums and gingival bleeding. However, all too soon, it can quickly grow out of control and turn into much more worrying periodontitis.

Left alone, periodontal disease can cost you your smile as you know it, causing abscesses, tooth loss, jaw deterioration, and facial sagging. At Gold Coast Dental Buena Park, our dedicated periodontists strive to get your dental health back on track quickly and painlessly. We use our hard-won expertise and top dental technologies to take care of your gum disease at any stage. Gingivitis treatment often involves deep cleanings to clear hardened plaque and tartar buildup below the gums. With periodontitis, our team can use pocket reduction surgery or grafting to repair more permanent damage.

Do you need urgent gum disease treatment? The Gold Coast Dental team is at your service! Please reach us at (714) 278-4978 today to schedule an appointment with our expert periodontists.

Gum Disease Stages

Gum disease starts with mild gingivitis, but it can quickly get out of control and become a much more serious problem.

As your periodontal disease worsens, more drastic treatments will be needed to restore your smile’s health. There are three main stages of gum disease:

Stage 1: Gingivitis

As bacteria and plaque first start collecting below the gums, the soft tissues become irritated and inflamed. This inflammation is gingivitis. You can recognize gingivitis by the gums becoming red, swollen, and tender or bleeding during your normal dental hygiene routine. Gingivitis is very mild, causing no permanent damage to the gums. You can reverse it in just 2 weeks of solid flossing and brushing.

Stage 2: Slight Periodontitis

Once periodontitis appears, the damage isn’t so easily fixable on your own. Periodontitis causes the gums to pull away from your teeth and recede, creating gum pockets that quickly catch food, plaque, and other debris. Gum disease can also start attacking the alveolar jaw bone and connective ligaments supporting your teeth. You will need to see a periodontist for specialist care.

Stage 3: Moderate Periodontitis

With moderate periodontitis, the gums’ pockets continue to deepen even as the soft tissues recede, exposing the teeth’s roots and causing teeth sensitivity. More periodontal bone and connective tissues are damaged by the infection. Oral bacteria may enter the bloodstream, allowing it to reach your immune system and the rest of your body.

Stage 4: Advanced Periodontitis

Enough of the periodontal structures anchoring your teeth may be infected that your teeth become loose and move out of alignment. Gaps between your teeth may appear and your teeth might not fit together well like they should. A pocket of pus called a dental abscess can form at the base of your tooth. Abscesses are very painful and should be safely drained by a periodontist. If they burst on their own, the infection can spread and, in rare cases, even cause dangerous sepsis.

At this last stage, your dentist may recommend tooth extraction if too much of the gum, soft tissues, and bone are destroyed. Otherwise, your tooth will eventually fall out by itself without enough foundation to keep it in place.

Gum Disease Treatment: What Are Your Options?

No matter the severity, you can count on our team to take care of your periodontal disease!

Gingivitis can often be fixed on your own, with treatment only needed to clear the buildup below the gums. With 10 to 14 days of consistent flossing and brushing, your gums can heal and return to a healthy pink. However, periodontitis will require professional care. Our dedicated periodontists perform several different gum disease treatments:

Deep Cleaning: Deep cleanings go further than a normal dental cleaning, moving past the visible enamel to remove plaque and tartar trapped on the teeth’s roots below the gums. Once the gum pockets are clean, we will polish the roots to better help the gums reattach to the teeth and fully recover.

Pocket Reduction: If frequent deep cleanings are needed, our periodontists may perform pocket reduction or gum flap surgery. A small cut is made in the gums and a small flap is pulled back, allowing us to clean the entire tooth’s roots. Once the roots are smoothed down, the gum flap is put back tighter than before, reducing the gum pocket’s size.

Tissue Grafting As periodontitis hurts the gums, periodontal bone, and ligaments, our team can replace the missing tissues with dental grafts. Grafts transplant new bone and soft tissues where there isn’t enough, helping to better support your teeth and reverse the damage.

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The Warning Signs of Gum Disease

Don’t ignore your gum disease symptoms until it’s too late!

Early gingivitis can be easy to miss as symptoms are generally minor. It usually only shows itself with tell-tale signs like bright red and puffy gums and bleeding when flossing. However, as more severe periodontitis develops and the damage to your gums becomes permanent, your gum disease symptoms aren’t as easy to dismiss or ignore. Common warning signs include:

Teeth appearing longer (gum recession)
Teeth sensitivity to hot, cold, and sweets
Gum pain when eating or biting down, or pus around the teeth and gums
Chronic lousy breath (halitosis)

Persistent bad taste in your mouth
Teeth shifting out of alignment, or loose teeth
New spaces appearing between your teeth
Dentures no longer fitting

Eventually, periodontal disease can destroy enough of the periodontal structure supporting your teeth that your teeth fall out! Our periodontists want to prevent this worst-case scenario at all costs. Please call (714) 278-4978 today and schedule an appointment if you experience these periodontitis symptoms. The earlier we treat your smile, the better we can save it!

Relax—We’ll Handle The Rest

Your smile is in great hands thanks to our top dentists and hygienists!

Gingivitis and gum disease can be scary and challenging, but our team at Gold Coast Dental Buena Park is always ready to help you every step of the way. We waste no time giving your smile the immediate and dedicated care it deserves. With state-of-the-art treatments and technology, we aim to give you back your old, beautiful smile in no time. Plus, our periodontists' gentle and expert care ensures your time with us is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. We want you to have your best dental experience every time you visit, no matter the dental emergency.

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Can a general dentist treat gum disease?

While a general dentist or hygienist can help with routine cleanings or even deep cleanings, more serious gum disease treatment should be seen by a specialist. Periodontists are trained to take care of a wide range of periodontal issues, and they are the best dentists for the job when it comes to periodontitis.
Does gingivitis go away?

Gingivitis treatment doesn’t need a professional’s help. With excellent dental hygiene habits, gingivitis can go away on its own without any lasting damage or symptoms. Typically, two weeks are needed to completely remove the plaque and bacteria buildup irritating and inflaming the gums and letting the soft tissues heal. However, once gingivitis turns into periodontitis, the harm to your gums becomes permanent. With a periodontist’s help, you can control and manage it.
How do I know if my gingivitis is getting better?

Gingivitis causes the gums to swell, bleed and redden. After starting your treatment, you should notice the soft tissues returning to their normal, healthy pink, and you shouldn’t see pink on your toothbrush or in the sink when brushing and flossing.
Is a deep cleaning really necessary?

Yes. When periodontitis develops, normal brushing, flossing, and dental cleanings won’t be able to clear out your gums’ pockets. Deep cleanings can reach deeper below the gums to clean the teeth’s roots and help the gums heal. Without regular deep cleanings, gum disease will only worsen as the gum pockets deepen, and the underlying bone and connective tissues are also attacked.
Does gum surgery really help?

Yes. Gum flap surgery can be crucial for managing gum disease and preventing it from worsening, making it more difficult for plaque and tartar to accumulate under the gums. Graft surgery instead reinforces your teeth’s support system to prevent teeth from moving out of alignment, becoming loose, or even falling out.
What can gum disease lead to?

Periodontal disease doesn’t just ruin your smile with lost teeth and facial sagging. It can also affect your overall health. If oral bacteria enters the bloodstream, it can reach the rest of your body to cause long-term health problems. Gum disease has been linked to heart disease, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, dementia, pregnancy issues, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.