It’s unfortunate to say, but gum disease is an all-too-common problem thousands of people in Jacksonville, FL, are affected by. This disease affects the gums and soft tissues of the mouth with the potential to spread to surrounding areas of the body.
In fact, gum disease has been linked to systemic health concerns like heart disease and diabetes!
If caught early, gum disease can be treated and the mouth restored to proper health. If allowed to advance, patients will have to live with gum disease for the rest of their lives and require routine periodontal treatment to maintain health.
Bleeding gums are one of the most obvious signs of gum disease. If you find that your gums bleed while brushing or flossing, or even eating, then your gums might be affected. The bleeding is often due to inflammation and buildup of plaque around the gum line.
Gum tissue is pink when healthy. When afflicted by gum disease, the gums will puff up and turn a bright red color. This is also due to the inflammation of the tissue and will often appear side-by-side with bleeding gums.
If bad breath is a concern even after brushing teeth and using mouth rinse, then infection may be present in the gum tissue. Diseased gum tissue is the cause of this bad breath and the only way to truly improve the breath is to seek gum disease treatment and remove the infection.
If teeth begin to appear longer or show discoloration along the gum line, then you are likely suffering from receding gums. This means that your gums are pulling away from the teeth due to the bacteria buildup on them. Eventually, this compromises the health of the teeth, making them easily damaged and looser.
Your teeth should never hurt. If they do, there is likely infection and cavities present. This is caused by the bacteria and plaque that was building up around the teeth, which has broken through the tooth enamel and is compromising the inner tissues of the tooth.
If you are experiencing one or more of these gum disease symptoms, call today to request an appointment! We invite you to meet our experienced and friendly dentist, Dr. Jacqueline West, in our dental office in Jacksonville, FL!