How Long Can You Keep Your Teeth With Periodontal Disease?
How long can you keep your teeth with periodontal disease?
Finding out you have periodontal disease can be scary. After all, periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss, and nobody wants to lose their natural teeth. The first question many patients ask is, how long can you keep your teeth with periodontal disease? The answer depends on several factors, but there is hope, and much of the outcome is within your control. A skilled periodontist can help you figure out the rest and keep you smiling for years to come.
Read below for tips on how to keep your teeth with periodontal disease.
How Long Can You Keep Your Teeth With Periodontal Disease?
With the proper treatment, many periodontal disease patients keep their natural teeth for the rest of their lives. While it does require a bit more commitment, patients with periodontal disease can significantly improve their dental health and actually achieve their healthiest smile yet.
Whether you can save your teeth depends on three main factors:
• The severity of your existing periodontal disease
• Whether you begin practicing proper periodontal disease self-care
• Whether you seek out professional periodontal treatment and maintenance
Severity of your Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease worsens over time if left untreated. If we catch the infection early, there is an excellent chance that we will be able to save your teeth. In most cases, periodontal disease can be stopped and even reversed. Over the years, our periodontists have treated thousands of patients with periodontal disease and have a long track record of success in saving our patients’ natural teeth.
The prognosis is worse for severe cases of gum disease where the disease has been left untreated for many years or decades. In certain instances, the periodontal disease has progressed too far, and we cannot save the teeth. These cases rarely affect all of the teeth at once, however, meaning you may be able to save at least some of your natural teeth even if you have advanced periodontal disease. That’s encouraging because your remaining teeth can be used as anchor points to rebuild your smile.
The good news is that there are several steps you can take right now that can stop the progression of periodontal disease and improve your chances of keeping your natural teeth. Simply follow the steps - excellent periodontal disease self-care, professional gum disease treatment, and regular periodontal maintenance (periodontal cleanings).
Periodontal disease self-care
All successful periodontal treatment requires diligent periodontal disease self-care. While it may seem mundane, thorough daily brushing and flossing routines yield excellent results. That’s because periodontal disease thrives in the areas of your mouth that contain high amounts of bacteria. By brushing and flossing thoroughly, you clean the affected area and eliminate the conditions that allow bacteria to damage your gum tissue and underlying bone.
Improving your dental health also yields positive benefits for your overall well-being. Periodontal disease has been linked to increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, and even certain cancers. It has been hypothesized that the bacteria and inflammation that are common with periodontal disease contribute to the development of other health problems. We don’t yet fully understand why that's the case, but it’s clear that excellent periodontal self-care will improve your life in ways that extend beyond simply having a healthy smile. The first step in achieving excellent periodontal health is making sure you are doing all you can to clean your teeth and gums.
Periodontal maintenance
While periodontal disease self-care is essential in the fight against periodontal disease, brushing and flossing alone won’t reverse gum disease. To halt the progression of the disease, professional periodontal treatment is necessary.
Patients often believe that they can heal themselves with excellent periodontal self-care, along with dental products such as specialized toothpaste and mouthwash. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. The reason is that the bacteria and inflammation associated with gum disease lie below the gumline, in areas of your mouth that you can’t reach with brushing and flossing alone. While brushing and flossing are essential to prevent periodontal disease from worsening, they are not effective ways to treat already existing gum disease.
That’s where periodontal maintenance comes in. Periodontal maintenance is another term for regular periodontal cleanings. These cleanings are used to clean out bacteria called plaque and tartar that can build up below the gumline. Once this bacteria is removed, your gums begin to heal, and periodontal disease can be reversed.
Professional periodontal surgery
If caught early, periodontal disease can be reversed with periodontal cleanings alone. More advanced cases require a higher level of care. For those with advanced periodontal disease, traditional periodontal disease surgery or laser treatment is required to reverse the disease. Traditional periodontal surgery involves cutting and suturing the gum tissue, whereas LANAP laser treatment does not. Each option has its pros and cons, so it is best to discuss the procedures with your periodontist in detail before making a decision.
LANAP laser treatment does have a few advantages. For example, our revolutionary LANAP laser procedure can treat gum disease without cutting or sewing the gum tissue, which allows our patients to return to their daily lives in record time. While healing, LANAP patients also experience significantly less pain and bleeding compared to patients who undergo traditional periodontal disease surgery.
Following periodontal disease surgery or laser treatment, patients should also have regular periodontal maintenance. These cleanings ensure that gum disease does not return and also enable us to monitor the progression of your periodontal disease. Should you require additional treatment in the future, we will be able to identify the problem early and minimize the expense and recovery required to resolve it.
With periodontal disease self-care, treatment, and maintenance, you should be able to enjoy your teeth for many years to come.
Good gums vs bad gums
The difference in terms of having good gums vs bad gums is largely within your control. If you address gum disease head-on and seek out effective treatment, you will likely keep your teeth for years to come. On the other hand, if you don’t tend to your dental self-care or receive regular cleanings, your teeth may be at risk. The formula for success is simple - provide yourself with excellent gum disease self-care, seek out effective periodontal treatment, and follow up with regular periodontal maintenance (periodontal cleanings).
Dentist for gum disease
As periodontists, we specialize in treating gum disease. We have undertaken years of education and work experience to help you solve your gum problems. While it may seem scary, having gum disease does not mean you are doomed to wear dentures for the rest of your life. We will help you find solutions that work for your life and budget, which also give you the best chance of keeping your natural teeth. You've come to the right place if you're searching to find a dentist for gum disease.
Keep your teeth for the rest of your life
Returning to the original question, reversing your periodontal disease and keeping your teeth for the rest of your life is possible. We can treat your periodontal disease and help get you back on track to achieving optimal oral health. Contact us today, and let’s start working together to try and save your teeth.