If you want to be successful in anything, you often need to follow a step-by-step process. The order matters because if you put off something important, it can bite you later and stop you from reaching your goal. If you aspire to have a perfect smile, you might need to take care of other things first. For instance, if you have gum disease, you can’t move forward with cosmetic procedures until this infection is taken care of. Would you like clarification about why this is the case? Keep reading!
What Is Gum Disease?
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a bacterial infection in the gum tissue. Although you might not have heard much about it as a health crisis, about half of American adults have this chronic condition, and it is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults throughout the globe. Gum disease originates in the plaque on your teeth near the gumline and can spread to your jawbone. Without early intervention, gum disease bacteria can also exacerbate conditions in other parts and systems of your body, including your heart, brain, blood sugar levels, and more.
How Can Gum Disease Impact Your Appearance?
Literally, gum disease isn’t pretty. Your gum tissues are meant to be firm and pink, but when they first become infected, they turn red and swollen and bleed easily. In later stages, the gum tissue pulls away from your teeth, making them appear longer. As the jawbone deteriorates from inflammation, your teeth become loose and eventually come out. Over time, gum disease continues to reduce the volume in your face, giving many older people with tooth loss that sunken look.
Why Does Gum Disease Need to Be Treated Before Cosmetic Procedures?
If you have contracted gum disease, your smile’s look is one of the least of your worries! You should be more concerned about rescuing your teeth before you can improve their appearance. Gum disease is treated in two steps, the first being scaling. In this part, your dentist performs a deeper cleaning that reaches below the gumline to remove stuck plaque and hidden bacteria. Once plaque has been taken away, step two, called root planing, entails making rough surfaces under the gums slippery so that plaque can’t reattach. Once the infection gets under control, you can revisit your cosmetic concerns.
Although your main goal may be to improve your smile’s look, you need to make sure it is healthy enough to undergo these treatments; otherwise, what’s the point? If your teeth are about to come out because of gum disease, it matters less whether they are white or not. During your consultation, your dentist should make sure your mouth is ready to go beyond health issues and address cosmetic problems with services like teeth whitening, veneers, and more.
About the Practice
Williamsburg Dental gives each patient individual attention and care. Considering needs and goals, we propose treatment that can keep your smile healthy and beautiful—in that order. We explain concepts clearly and in easily understandable ways so that you can make the best decisions for your care. Would you like to see if you have gum disease? Do you think you’re ready for cosmetic dentistry? Make an appointment with us online or call one of our six Lincoln locations right now!