The Importance of Periodontal (gum) Care

“Periodontal disease is a silent killer, posing a major risk to a patient’s overall health. There needs to be a collaboration between primary care physicians and Dentists to screen, diagnose and treat this disease before the widespread health issues occur.” –Inside Dentistry November 2017

 

What is Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal (gum) disease is chronic-it needs to be constantly maintained/treated or it will progress rapidly. Periodontitis is a nationwide epidemic that will only become more prevalent as patients live longer and keep their teeth. Insured and uninsured Americans alike are not going to the Dentist, which allows an easily treatable dental disease to progress rapidly.

The data are striking, if not alarming.

• 47% of adults over 30 years old have periodontal disease
• 70% of adults of 65 have periodontal disease
• The number of Americans over 70 years old will double by 2030.

Periodontal disease is multifactorial and chronic in nature. This means the risk factors must be identified and therapies need to be consistent. Although the presence of plaque is key in the development of the disease, it’s the bacteria that reside within this plaque that play a key role in the severity of the disease.

Factors to determine the severity and rapid progression of periodontal disease include:

• Ratio of good bacteria to bad bacteria present
• Type of aggressive bacteria present
• Overall dental health (untreated cavities, broken teeth, 3rd molars etc)
• Host risk factors: Smoking, presence of systemic inflammatory diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes etc

Renumi Dental takes all the above into account and creates a personalized periodontal RENEW program (link) for our patients. With the diagnostic information collected at our initial assessment, and using Oral DNA testing (link), we are able to see exactly what bacteria are causing your disease and what therapies will target them.

By participating in our Periodontal Renew program patients are set up with a periodontal therapy schedule which includes both in-office and at-home treatment modalities to get ahead of the disease process and benefit your overall health and well-being.