A Soft Tissue Laser used in gum disease treatment.
For those of you who have dental implants or are considering them, you might wonder if oral hygiene is as important for your artificial teeth as it is for your natural ones. After all, the dental implants you’ll receive at Sherman Oaks Dental are of the highest quality and durability, and installed by one of the best dentists in Naperville. As it turns out, hygiene is still extremely important for dental implants, since gum disease can affect them just as much as it can affect natural teeth.
What is gum disease?
Gum disease is an infection of the tissue of the gums that surround and support the teeth. Even in mild cases, it can make gum tissue red, swollen and sensitive, the tissue bleeds easily and can pull away from the teeth. In more severe cases, it causes the degradation and loss of both gum and bone tissue, and as a result teeth can become loose and even fall out. In fact, gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. So how does this affect dental implants? Well, since tooth loss from gum disease is caused by the decay of gum tissue, dental implants are just as vulnerable as natural teeth, since they can become loosened if the gum tissue holding them in place is compromised. The same plaque that causes gum disease can also damage the crown surfaces of dental implants.
How to prevent gum disease
Gum disease is primarily caused by plaque, a thin film of bacteria and bacterial waste that coats the teeth and gums. Brushing your teeth twice a day for 60-90 seconds each time will help keep plaque at bay and limit the damage it can do to your mouth. Be sure when brushing to carefully clean all the exposed parts of your teeth, especially the hard-to-reach parts where plaque can easily build up. Flossing once a day helps clean plaque out from between the teeth, where gum disease often develops.
Often, gum disease is painless and reveals few symptoms, so regular checkups and cleanings at the dentist are essential for timely diagnosis and preventive measures. Though we do offer dental implant services and gum disease treatment from Sherman Oaks Dental, we prefer to prevent problems from developing in the first place, so come for a visit and let us treat you to our first-class preventive teeth cleaning services. Contact us today!