Why Healthy Gums Matter

When imagining a healthy mouth, many people think of strong, white and healthy teeth, completely overlooking the fact that these teeth are supported by the gums. It doesn’t matter how good your teeth look if they aren’t supported properly by healthy and strong gums. Ideally, gums fit quite snugly around the teeth, sealing out bacteria in the mouth, preventing damage to the ligaments attached to your teeth and which secure them in the bony sockets. When gum disease (gum disease signs and symptoms) becomes sufficiently well advanced, mouth bacteria also have the potential to destroy bone surrounding your teeth.

What Should Healthy Gums Look like?

Healthy gums should be a nice, pale pink color, will be firm to touch and won’t bleed when you brush or floss (Read also: Gums Bleed When You Brush Teeth?). If you notice your gums are looking puffy or red, are perhaps swollen or bleed frequently when you brush then it’s possible you could have gum disease and this is where a yearly periodontal evaluation with a good periodontist such as Dr. Navid Rahmani can be invaluable. By having regular evaluations, you’ll be ensuring your gums are healthy and strong, supporting and protecting your teeth. The great thing about seeing a periodontist is that you can be sure you’ll be getting the highest quality examination and if you do need any treatment then it will be the most up-to-date and effective available today.

How Do Healthy Gums Help Protect My General Health?

These days there is an increasing amount of evidence showing strong links between healthy gums and a healthy body. In cases where people have advanced gum disease or periodontal disease, it’s been found they can be more at risk of developing serious health conditions, or if they already have health problems then gum disease can make it worse. While the exact links between gum health and general health aren’t quite known yet, there have been a sufficient number of clinical studies to show that healthy gums are important. One of the best investigated links is between gum health and diabetes as diabetics often have gum problems.

Bleeding Gums and Diabetes

When you have advanced gum disease, your gums often bleed frequently when brushed and these wounds are the perfect entry point for mouth bacteria to get into your bloodstream. Periodontal disease is an inflammatory condition (Read also: Periodontal Conditions Prevention) and these bacteria can then travel freely around your body creating new sites of inflammation. Diabetes is also an inflammatory disease and the presence of periodontal disease can make blood sugar levels harder to control. This is especially bad news for diabetics as poorly controlled blood sugar levels increase the amount of glucose in saliva, providing even more fuel for mouth bacteria.

If you even suspect you might have problems with your gums then now is a good time to contact Manhattan Periodontics & Implant Surgery to book that evaluation.

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Being diagnosed with diabetes can be a shock but it is something that many more Americans have to face. Diabetes is very serious condition that can take its toll on your general health and is caused by the body being unable to control the level of glucose in the blood, due to producing insufficient insulin.

Controlling the disease can be quite tricky and in addition to high blood sugar levels, anyone suffering from type I or type II diabetes can end up with other general health complications including neuropathy, heart problems and diabetes arthritis. Unfortunately diabetes also has the ability to affect gum health.

How Diabetes Affects Gum Health

If you have this condition then you do need to take additional care with your oral hygiene routine as there is a strong link between gum disease and diabetes.

People with diabetes are more likely to have gum health problems and to experience early tooth loss. The problem with diabetes is that it increases the risk of glucose in saliva, particularly for anyone who struggles to keep their glucose levels under control.

A higher level of glucose in saliva increases the risk of gum disease as the presence of sugar enables plaque bacteria that cause this disease to thrive.

Gum Disease Symptoms

When you have gum disease, plaque bacteria will gradually infect and inflame your gums, particularly just around the gum line where plaque tends to build up. You may notice your gums look red or swollen or that they bleed slightly when brushed or flossed.

It’s important to make sure that your brushing and flossing routine will remove as much plaque as possible, before it has a chance to infect your gums.

Often it’s very easy to miss certain areas when you brush or floss and plaque can soon harden into tartar (calculus) that can only be removed professionally during a clean at your dental office.

Best Ways to Protect Your Gum Health

Although diabetes will increase your risk of gum disease, there are lots of different things you can do to help protect your gums and to keep them healthy.

The best way is to combine good oral hygiene with professional dental care and you may wish to think about having regular periodontal evaluations with a good periodontist like Dr. Navid Rahmani at Manhattan Periodontics & Implant surgery. Our state of the art periodontal NYC facility equipped with the most advanced periodontal equipment available in USA including latest lasers & high precision microscopes.

His dental office is conveniently located in Midtown, NYC and you don’t need a referral from your general dentist to book an appointment. The advantage of having a regular periodontal evaluation is that Dr. Rahmani will be able to keep a close eye on your gum health from appointment to appointment and can quickly identify any areas of concern.

Gum Disease Treatment in NYC

If you do happen to have any signs of gum disease, a periodontist is always the best qualified dental specialist to see for this problem. Gum disease or periodontal disease often requires specialized treatment and Dr. Rahmani’s dental office is equipped with the very latest dental laser and this can help ensure that treatment is more comfortable and more effective. Dr. Rahmani is also able to provide many different specialized treatments that you simply wouldn’t find in your general dental office, including techniques to help rebuild bone that may have been destroyed by gum disease, and advanced gum grafting techniques.

The great thing about using specialized dental treatment to protect your gum health is that you’ll be helping to protect your general health at the same time, reducing the effect that diabetes can have on your overall health.

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The good news is that you definitely don’t have to lose teeth with age, but healthy teeth and gums do require good professional dental care and home maintenance. One major problem that will be faced by a large percentage of the population is gum disease.

Gum Disease and How Does It Make You Lose Teeth with Age

Gum disease is a bacterial infection caused by plaque building up on your teeth and gums. If you don’t brush thoroughly enough or fail to floss (Read also: Flossing Properly), then not all the plaque will be regularly removed from your teeth and it will soon harden into tartar that will produce toxins, gradually infecting and inflaming your gums. Over time your gums will be destroyed and the infection will spread to the ligaments that are attached to your teeth and to the jawbone. As these structures are destroyed by gum disease, you will notice your teeth gradually becoming loose, eventually leading to tooth loss.

Obviously this doesn’t happen overnight, but gum disease is insidious and the first symptoms can be easy to miss and this is where Dr. Navid Rahmani of Manhattan Periodontics & Implant Surgery can help you to not lose teeth with age.

Specialized Dental Care for Gum Disease in NY

As a very experienced and highly trained periodontist, Dr. Rahmani can ensure you receive the most appropriate treatment for gum disease. Treatment can vary considerably depending on the progression of the disease and you will find Dr. Rahmani can provide customized care for the mildest symptoms of the disease as well as the most advanced and up-to-date surgical treatments for when gum disease has developed into periodontitis, the most severe form of the disease. So why is this better than visiting a general dentist if you don’t want to lose teeth with age?

A periodontist has first qualified as a general dentist before opting to complete several more years of specialized dental training, ensuring you will get the very best available treatment. As you only have one set of teeth, you will probably be interested in preserving them. You will find that Dr. Rahmani will do everything possible to preserve natural teeth, but if periodontitis is extremely well advanced and teeth have already loosened then there may be no other option but to have them removed.

What Happens if You Do Lose Teeth?

While still upsetting, lose teeth with age can be much more easily dealt with these days and you don’t need to be condemned to a life of loose dentures and soft foods. Any teeth that cannot be salvaged will be carefully removed and you can choose to have dental implants. These artificially replace the entire tooth in a way that will make it very difficult for others to detect you have ever suffered from tooth loss. Instead, you can look forward to strong, stable replacement teeth so you can get on with the business of enjoying life.

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What Causes Gingivitis?

The most common reason for developing gingivitis is poor dental hygiene. If you haven’t been quite as vigilant as you should have about twice daily brushing and once-a-day flossing then you are far more likely to need gingivitis treatment. Failing to clean your teeth thoroughly will allow plaque to build up on your teeth and gums. Plaque contains bacteria that cause gingivitis and it can soon harden into calculus, which is a very hard substance that can only be removed by having your teeth professionally cleaned. It takes just a couple of days for plaque to harden into calculus and this can also happen if you regularly clean your teeth but are missing out certain areas of your mouth. The longer plaque and calculus are able to remain on your teeth, the greater the risk of infection and irritation in your gums. As well as poor oral hygiene habits, there are a number of other risk factors associated with gingivitis.

Who Is More at Risk of Developing Gingivitis?

You are more likely to need gingivitis treatment if you smoke, are older or have a disease that affects your immunity, for example HIV/AIDS or leukemia. Diabetics are more likely to develop gingivitis and aging can increase your risk (Read also: Diabetes and Gum Health). Women are more at risk of developing gingivitis at certain times due to hormonal changes. Wearing a poorly fitting dental appliance that traps plaque can increase your chances of developing gingivitis, as can taking certain medications that may cause dry mouth, a condition where you can’t produce enough saliva to keep your mouth comfortable. The good news is, your gum disease has been caught early enough to be completely cured.

Gingivitis Treatment in New York

Your first step is to visit a good periodontist and you can phone up and make an appointment without requiring a referral from your dentist. You will find Dr. Navid Rahmani is an extremely gentle and thorough periodontist and he will be able to examine your gums to discover the extent of the infection. The next step will be to plan gingivitis treatment which is normally to thoroughly clean your teeth and gums. If the infection is very mild he might suggest a regular scale and clean, but quite often gums will benefit from being deep cleaned, a treatment that will remove more bacteria and which is able to treat any tooth root surfaces that may have become exposed through gum recession. By following his aftercare instructions very carefully, you can ensure the disease will be completely eradicated.

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The Significance of Blood on Your Toothbrush

While it is perfectly feasible any blood on your toothbrush is due to brushing too hard, it can easily be a gum disease signs and symptoms, a condition that is called gingivitis in its early stages. Gingivitis is a bacterial infection that gradually weakens and destroys gum tissue, causing it to bleed easily when it comes under the sort of pressure that should normally not have this effect.

This bleeding is hugely significant, not only for your gum health but also for your general health, because bleeding gums allow the bacteria that caused the infection in the first place to enter into your bloodstream. From there, these bacteria can go on to create new sites of inflammation around your body, increasing your risk of developing general health problems, or potentially worsening any conditions you may have such as diabetes or heart disease (Read also: Diabetes Affects Your Health).

What Can You Do to Treat Gum Disease?

If you do notice your gums are bleeding or blood on your toothbrush then you may have other symptoms such as gums that are tender or which look swollen or red and you might have bad breath. If the disease has progressed from gingivitis into periodontitis, a much more serious form of gum disease, then some of your teeth may have already started to loosen. The sooner you take action and seek professional advice and treatment from a periodontist in NYC the better.

A periodontist such as Dr. Navid Rahmani of periodontal New York clinic is your best option if you care about your gum health and would like to give your teeth and gums the best possible chance of recovering from this disease, as periodontists specialize in treating gums.

You will find Dr. Rahmani can quickly assess your gum health and he will recommend the most advanced treatments to help halt the progression of gum disease. If it has already destroyed some gum tissue, he can suggest suitable treatments to repair and replace these tissues.

The good news is that if caught early on, gingivitis is reversible and treatment is very straightforward and simple. It will focus on removing the infection by deep cleaning your gums so they have a better chance of recovering. If the disease progression is more significant, you might require surgical treatments to help eliminate bacteria and to help regenerate lost gum tissues.

Laser Treatment for Gum Disease in Midtown, NYC

Dr. Rahmani will often use laser dentistry to treat gum disease as this is a very gently way to help eliminate bacterial infections, causing minimal side effects and aiding faster healing. With laser dentistry there are far fewer side effects such as swelling and bleeding and often there is no need for pain relief during treatments which can be very useful for anyone who is nervous of needles.

Please don’t ignore your bleeding gums or blood on your toothbrush and take action now. You don’t need a referral from your general dentist to schedule your appointment to the best periodontist NYC Dr. Navid Rahmani of Manhattan Periodontics and Implant Dentistry.

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Advanced Laser Gum Surgery

Here at Manhattan Periodontics & Implant Surgery, we have one of the most advanced dental lasers available today. Able to treat both soft and hard tissues, our dental laser is extremely safe and it combines a nice gentle spray of water with the laser energy for a more comfortable experience. We find our patients greatly prefer treatment using a dental laser as it is much easier to cope with. A dental laser doesn’t produce any vibration or pressure but instead uses a precise beam of energy to remove or reshape tissues. Our periodontist Dr. Navid Rahmani is extremely experienced in using this laser and has undertaken additional training so you will be in very safe hands. Our laser has more than one setting and Dr. Rahmani will choose the exact wavelength to comfortably carry out your laser gum surgery.

Benefits of Laser Dentistry

One of the things we really like about laser dentistry is that there is often no need for us to use local anesthetic to keep you comfortable during treatment. Unlike more traditional gum surgery, there is only minimal bleeding as the laser energy automatically cauterizes any small blood vessels that are cut during treatment. The precise nature of the laser beam means that tissues can be removed extremely accurately, leaving healthy tissues fully intact. This is especially important during surgery for gum disease as we want to leave as much healthy tissue as possible. Another thing that makes it so good for treating gum disease is the laser’s ability to kill off bacteria that cause this condition, effectively sterilizing an area so it has a greater chance of healing afterwards. The gentle nature of laser gum surgery means that recovery is quicker and you will find there is less swelling and less discomfort compared with traditional forms of treatment.

What Type of Treatments Can Be Carried out Using Laser Dentistry?

Laser gum surgery is exceptionally good at removing tissues that have become diseased due to advanced periodontitis. It can help clean out gum pockets or periodontal pockets as these deep pockets often harbor bacteria. Afterwards the gum tissue is able to heal more easily and the periodontal pockets will begin to shrink further, your gums will not only fit more tightly around the teeth, but are less able to become re-infected.

We also really like to use laser dentistry for correcting gummy smiles. The high degree of precision enables Dr. Rahmani to carefully reshape the gums, creating a far more aesthetically pleasing appearance. IF there is something else you would like to know about laser dentistry, then please don’t hesitate to ask us.

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