The Primary Cause of Lost Teeth
Periodontal (gum) disease is a slowly advancing, nearly painless affliction that loses people more teeth
than any other cause. In fact, you may not even know your gums are infected until after your teeth are
permanently damaged. Have you noticed these symptoms: bleeding gums when you brush or floss, loose teeth,
or shifting teeth? If so, your teeth are at risk, but it’s not too late. Even if you’ve been told that you
require gum surgery, we can help. Up-to-date dental treatments have made it possible to control gum disease
with a variety of non-surgical procedures.
Gum Disease Can Contribute to Heart Disease and Even Stroke
Recent medical research has verified a link showing that gum disease contributes to the onset of stroke,
heart disease, and many other life-threatening ailments. So you can understand why treating gum disease is
an extremely important step in your efforts to retain your overall good health.
The American Dental Association estimates that 8 out of 10 people in the United States have periodontal (gum)
disease. An 80% infection rate should require gum disease to be handled as a national epidemic, but because
tooth loss has long been thought of as nothing more than unpleasant, the ruthlessness of the disease has been
ignored for far too long. However, things are changing.
The American Academy of Periodontology reports: “Studies found periodontal infection may contribute to the
development of heart disease, increase the risk of premature, underweight births, and pose a serious threat to
people whose health is already compromised due to diabetes and respiratory diseases.” What this means is that
when you contract periodontal disease, the bacteria that infects your teeth and gums can infiltrate your other
soft tissues, transfer into your bloodstream, and cause problems in your heart, lungs, and other vital organs.
If your health is already compromised, gum disease may make things much worse.
Now the Good News
The dangers of gum disease have been established, and most dental insurance plans offer coverage to pay for
available treatments. With advanced periodontal disease, the treatment is surgical. However, for all other cases
there are potent NON-surgical treatments that, combined with enhanced dental hygiene, can essentially stop the
spread of the disease.
What’s So Bad About Losing a Tooth?
Missing teeth, no matter how they occur, will cause other health difficulties unless you fill the empty space
with a restoration. The loss of even one tooth permits your other teeth to move, creating a change in your dental
occlusion (bite pattern), which may lead to jaw joint problems; an inability to properly absorb nutrients from
your food; a sunken or wrinkled facial appearance; possibly even an unwanted change in your speech.
At Cox Family Dentistry, we recommend dental implants to restore your missing teeth. An implant can replace one
tooth or many. Created to blend with your remaining teeth, dental implants look so natural that at first glance
even a dentist may not see the difference.
We can help arrest your gum disease and bring your smile back to health. Give us a call today at (864) 226-4300.
