Why Your Periodontal Health Matters

When caring for your smile, your first concerns are likely to make sure that you don’t develop any cavities and that your teeth look beautiful. While these are good oral hygiene goals, ignoring the health of your gums in the process can be detrimental to your smile. 

If you’ve been leaving the care of your gums out of your daily health routine, consider the following:

Your Gums are the Foundation of Your Smile

Soft tissue is supportive in nature, in that it allows your teeth to remain strong and in-place. Damage that weakens gum health, such as the formation of pockets of infection below the gum line, also weakens your teeth’s healthy foundation. Without good support, teeth begin to loosen and may even fall out in severe stages of periodontal disease.

Poor Gum Health Has a Negative Aesthetic Effect

As gum disease begins to develop and soft tissue shows signs of disease, they begin to look red and puffy. Later, as pockets of infection develop, gums can pull away from teeth, making your smile look overly-toothy and/or exposing teeth’s roots. The progression of periodontal disease is highly negative, both in terms of your oral health and the way your smile looks.

Unhealthy Gums Mean an Unhealthy Body

Studies demonstrate a link between the health of your smile, and how healthy you are overall. The increase of oral bacteria that is present in certain stages of gum disease as well as generally poor soft tissue health can put you at greater risk for systemic health problems, like heart issues and diabetes.

Without Healthy Soft Tissue, You May be Ineligible for Certain Dental Treatments

Patients with missing teeth, who want the gaps in their smile filled by dental implants, need their gum tissue health under control before implant dentistry can be performed. As implant surgery requires the placement of implants through soft tissue and bone, gums need to be able to heal properly before the final restoration can be placed. The presence of gum disease interferes with healthy healing processes and will need to be treated first.

If you’ve haven’t been flossing to keep gums clean, or if you’ve been neglecting visiting the dentist, it’s still possible to achieve better oral health. Our Edmonton dental office offers periodontal therapy to combat signs of gum disease, and has developed efficient, responsible hygiene programs to help you regain the health of your smile, and overall wellness. Contact our office today if you have questions about gum health and periodontal treatments.