Diamons

Periodontal Dentistry

Photography by Dr. Padval

Gum Disease & Public Health

Gum Disease has Bigger Implications Gum disease continues to pose a significant threat to public health, with some studies suggesting more American adults have gum disease than previously thought. As detection, screening, and awareness has improved over the years, we now know that the prevalence of moderate to severe periodontal disease may have been underestimated by as much as 50 percent. Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that can destroy the gum tissue, ligaments and even the bone supporting the teeth. Left untreated, [...]

By |2019-08-06T08:00:32-07:00August 6, 2019|Periodontal Dentistry|

Keep Chronic Inflammation Under Control!

Inflammation is the fire your body builds to burn out attackers like bacteria, viruses or parasites. If you've ever gotten a scratch that grows swollen and hot to the touch you've encountered acute, or temporary, inflammation. Then the healing begins. Far more serious is chronic inflammation (CI). It's like a fire inside your body that never goes out and increasingly researchers are recognizing it as a significant factor contributing to heart disease. A simple blood test for chronic inflammation focuses on C-reactive protein (CRP), [...]

By |2018-09-04T00:00:41-07:00September 4, 2018|Periodontal Dentistry|

Help Yourself to a Healthy Pregnancy

Oral Health can be Compromised During Pregnancy It used to be conventional wisdom that a woman would lose a tooth for each child that she had. Thankfully with modern dentistry this is no longer true, but there's some factual basis for it. Your teeth and gums are affected by pregnancy, just as other tissues in your body. Managing Perio During Pregnancy The more we learn about periodontal (gum) disease, the more of a threat it appears to pose to the entire body, not just [...]

By |2018-06-26T00:00:40-07:00June 26, 2018|Periodontal Dentistry|

The Long & Short of Gum Disease

Surprising but true: the major cause of tooth loss in adults is not decay, but periodontal disease. More than half of all people over age 18 have at least the early stage of periodontal disease. After age 35, about three out of four adults are affected. Some people seem to be more susceptible to gum disease than others. Anything from pregnancy, systemic disease (like diabetes), and certain medications can contribute to its development. Smoking increases the likelihood dramatically (and renders treatment less effective). Some [...]

By |2018-05-08T08:00:58-07:00May 8, 2018|Periodontal Dentistry|

Periodontal Disease Q&A

Answers to your most frequently asked questions about gum disease. Q: Why is gum disease so terrible if it doesn't hurt? Periodontal disease is a progressive one—meaning if it doesn't stabilize or show signs of healing, it's bound to get worse. Even when it doesn't hurt, untreated gum disease will eventually take its toll: tooth loss. But there is a bright side. Every day, we're finding new ways to approach therapy. Since we can treat every stage of the disease, our practice has helped [...]

By |2018-02-20T08:00:21-08:00February 20, 2018|Periodontal Dentistry|

The Most Common Affliction?

When it comes to most common, not even winter colds strike as many of us as gum infection (periodontal disease). As many as 75% of adults will be a victim sometime in their lifetime. If this infection could grow on your arm, you'd be horrified. Instead, periodontal disease does its dirty work out of sight: inside your mouth. Left alone, it opens up gaps between gums and teeth. Too soon, you're on your way to losing your teeth entirely. How can I stop gum [...]

By |2017-08-08T00:00:13-07:00August 8, 2017|Periodontal Dentistry|

Baby Those Gums and Help Your Heart!

It started out as an unconventional theory. But now, more and more scientists, physicians and dentists are seeing the connection between gum disease and potentially fatal heart attacks. What would a problem with your gums have in common with an ailing heart? Researchers began by looking at heart attack patients and deciding what physical symptoms contributed to the attack in the first place. Their conclusions: inflammation, and infection. Then they set out to identify what might cause such inflammation and infection. High blood pressure, [...]

By |2017-04-25T00:00:58-07:00April 25, 2017|Periodontal Dentistry|

Could You Have Gum Disease?

Periodontal disease, (aka gum disease) is painless in its early stages. So how can you tell if it's in your future? Take a good look at your gums. Then call us. Do your gums bleed—at all—when you brush? Are your gums swollen, red or tender? Have any permanent teeth loosened? Are you distressed by persistent bad breath? Are your gums pulling away from your teeth? Do your teeth or partial dentures fit together differently when you bite down?

By |2016-11-15T00:00:41-08:00November 15, 2016|Periodontal Dentistry|

Heart Healthy News

Do you have sore, bleeding gums? Are you worried about your heart's health, and how much time may still be available to enjoy your life and family? A visit to our office just might help solve all these worries simultaneously! Fighting periodontal (gum) disease through outstanding daily hygiene and regular dental appointments is a three-for-the-price-of-one proposition. Protect your gums! Protect your teeth! And protect your heart in the bargain! Recent research has shown that the levels of two inflammatory proteins known to raise the [...]

By |2016-09-20T00:00:26-07:00September 20, 2016|Periodontal Dentistry|

Stroke Prevention: Routine Dental Hygiene Appointments

You may wonder what a tooth cleaning has to do with a stroke—that sudden, devastating paralysis in which blood supply to the brain is blocked. Simply put, it's the result of a buildup of plaque in the arteries. Yes, their is a direct correlation between the plaque in arteries and the plaque that builds up on teeth and causes inflammation and gum disease if not professionally cleaned from time to time. A hygiene appointment is probably the easiest and most painless way of eliminating [...]

By |2016-06-21T00:00:40-07:00June 21, 2016|Periodontal Dentistry|