Quick Facts:
Did you know that the number one cause of tooth loss is gum disease?
Did you know that 3 out of every 4 people have gum disease? (75%)
You can ask any dental professional and they will likely agree with the above facts.
So what is going on here?
You can learn more from this video.
Regular Brushing and Flossing Are Often Not Enough
Although you should definitely still continue to brush and floss daily, they may not be enough to protect your teeth and your dental health.
The reason I say that is tied into the quick facts above.
Most of the people I know brush and floss and I am willing to guess the same is true for your circle of friends and acquaintances as well.
Yet, despite that, I also know that, according to the statistics, about 7 out of every 10 of the people I know have a gum disease problem – whether they know it or not.
In fact, if you were to ask ten people, you would be lucky to find even 1 that knows they have gum disease. In reality, we know that number is closer to 7 out of every 10 people.
There is a huge disconnect.
Since gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss, those folks are in for trouble, particular if they don’t know and / or do nothing to stop its progression.
Education and action are the keys.
While there is still enough bone and tissue to hold the teeth up, it is not too late control the problem and protect the bone and tissue that you have left.
Even if you have lost one or more teeth already, perhaps you can save the rest?
Gum Disease Is Not An Aging Disease
Many people mistakenly think they don’t have to worry about gum disease until they are very old. That is simply not the case. You can be 6-years-old and have gum disease.
This mistaken perception is very harmful because it makes us complacent. “I don’t have to worry about this until later.”
In fact, the opposite is true.
The reason for this misconception is that over time the damage accumulates, more and more of the supporting bone is destroyed by the disease process and more tissue recedes.
This is visibly obvious. The disease was there before, you just didn’t notice the damage as it occurred slowly over time. In other cases, it can progress more rapidly.
The reason people think this is an aging problem, is because most of the time, you don’t start to notice the accumulated damage until you are older!
But, the problem most likely started years and years ago. If the person had known about the problem and how to protect themselves better, it could have made a major difference over time.
The Costs Of Doing Nothing
The costs of doing nothing are not limited to monetary losses. There is also pain and recovery time after expensive treatments. These treatments may also not do enough to restore a ‘natural’ appearance.
The costs of dental implants is quite high and can range in the thousands of dollars. That is just for one implant, what if you need more?
Implants come with problems of their own and may require repair down the road. Dentures are not perfect either.
In fact, there is no equivalent to keeping your own natural teeth!
Even a relatively minor ‘deep cleaning’, SRP, or Scaling and Root Planing Treatment often costs $1600.
More extensive dental surgeries can get quite expensive. A single gum graft ( to replace lost tissue, assuming there is enough bone left) can cost $500 to $800.
As you may already know, dental insurance usually only covers a fraction of the costs.
So What Do You Do?
Get educated. Read the books: How To Stop Gum Disease In 4 Easy Steps and What You Should Know About Gum Disease – They Layman’s Guide To Fighting Gum Disease – Disclaimer: I wrote both of them.
One of the key measurements that you need to be aware of are you periodontal pocket depths.
These are real, objective, measurements conducted by your dentist or hygienist. They should be taking these measurement on every visits, but I have found that many dental offices only do it infrequently.
You can simply ask them to do it on every visit. Save the numbers and compare them to previous visits.
This is your real, objective way to track this problem.
What are you looking for? Generally speaking, you want those pocket depths to be 3mm or smaller. Most dental practitioners will feel that your gums are healthy in that case. If the depths are greater than 3mm, most dental practitioners will be inclined to say there is a problem growing.
When the pockets are bigger, enough bacteria can accumulate to cause damage. They secrete their acidic byproducts byproducts which can destroy the supporting bone structure under your tissue. When this goes to far you have eroded gum tissue. When things get worse, the teeth can become loose and even fall out.
That is the danger. So keep an eye on your pocket depths. If they are already bigger, start to work on making them smaller. If they are not bigger, work to keep them at the minimal level or below!
In this way, you vastly increase your chances of keeping your teeth for a lifetime of good service. In addition, you increase your chance of avoiding expense, pain and recovery time after costly treatments
PS: Watch this video for one of the most helpful tools I have come across! Used properly, it can be a big help with keeping those periodontal pocket depths in check!
*This information is presented in general terms only. For specific questions about your unique dental health situation, see your dentist or doctor for help and answers.
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