Periodontal Care Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Palm Spring, Coachella Valley, Cathedral City, La Quinta, Desert Hot Springs, Yucca Valley, Indian Wells

The periodontium comprising of the supporting bone, gums and the periodontal ligament form an important part of the oral cavity. Maintaining periodontal health is absolutely necessary for good oral health. The gums form a seal against the bacteria, which otherwise can infect the root of the natural teeth and the supporting bone. The primary aim of every dental care provider is to make sure that the natural defense system - the gums are healthy. A routine checkup will normally involve examination of these soft tissues. Any signs of inflammation or infection are taken care of. Do your gums bleed when you brush your teeth? Do you notice swelling in your gums? Meet our dental professionals for periodontal care at our Rancho Mirage office. Our comprehensive treatment can ensure you regain your healthy smile.

Importance of gum care

As stated above, gums seal the root of the teeth from harmful bacteria. The soft tissues ensure that teeth are healthy and well intact. They are also part of a good-looking smile. Plaque, which is a biofilm of bacteria that is formed over the teeth surface, can come in contact with the soft tissues of gums to cause inflammation and infection. This can lead to swelling and reddening of gums. The bacteria are capable of detaching the gum tissues from the teeth surface to form gum pockets. As the disease progresses the infection spreads deeper to reach the roots of the teeth and in the worst case, can lead to tooth loss.

Gum diseases – Stages and symptoms

Plaque is a biofilm of bacteria that is formed over teeth surface. When plaque is not removed from the oral cavity from time to time, it hardens to become tarter, which cannot be cleaned through normal teeth brushing and flossing. The bacteria in tarter are capable of inflaming and infecting soft gum tissues.

The first stage of the disease involves the inflammation of the soft gum tissues. This is called gingivitis. The bacteria feed on the food debris to inflame the gums. This leads to softening of gums, swelling, bleeding when brushing or flossing teeth and teeth sensitivity. If left untreated, the infection can proceed to the next stage named periodontitis.

Periodontitis is the stage where the bacteria start to infect the gums. The gum tissues are detached from teeth surface to form pockets. Food debris accumulation in the pockets can increase to worsen the condition. The bacteria can go deeper within the gum-line to reach the root of the teeth and cause infection. In the worst stage, periodontitis can lead to teeth loss.

Patients should quickly contact our dental office if they note one of following symptoms of gum disease.

• Bad breath
• Gum tenderness
• Swelling of gums
• Teeth sensitivity
• Formation of pus
• Loosening of teeth

Periodontal care – What does it involve?

Firstly, our dentist makes a note of the symptoms of gum disease and the patient’s history of oral health. Thorough examination of gums is performed using instruments such as periodontal probe. The probe helps in finding the depth of gum pockets that says how healthy the gums are. On identifying gum disease, our dentist recommends a treatment process and sets a plan. Gum disease cannot be cured at once. There may be a number of visits required to ensure that the bacteria are kept in control. Following are some of the procedures we follow as part of periodontal maintenance and cure for gum disease.

If you ever have any gum issues or want to know more about our periodontal services, feel free to talk to us, we are always happy to hear from you. We care about your smile and dental health and we look forward to making your every visit to our Rancho Mirage dental office a positive experience.