Gum Disease

The periodontal tissues of the mouth, the gums and bone, form the support for teeth.  Periodontics is the dental specialty that maintains and treats this part of the mouth. Treatment for diseased conditions can range from simple cleaning to surgery.  The majority of periodontal disease originates with bacterial infection, so our emphasis at Centercare is to manage infection aggressively.

Gingivitis is an inflammatory condition of the gums, caused by your system’s response to bacteria which live in plaque on teeth.  Symptoms are redness, bleeding and swelling. Gingivitis is reversible if the teeth are cleaned well and kept plaque-free.  In a healthy individual, basic professional cleaning can work wonders.

Periodontitis, a more difficult infection, will result if gingivitis remains untreated.  This disease leads to Irreversible changes in bone level.  Loss of tooth support begins to occur and can lead to tooth loss, accounting for over half the tooth loss in adults. Heredity, smoking and diabetes increase susceptibility to periodontitis.  Treatment involves extensive root cleaning, antibiotics and possible surgery.

Dr. Steen is an associate member of the American Academy of Periodontology. For in-depth information on periodontal health you may follow this link to its website.
Periodontal disease, unfortunately, can be very silent, with few or no symptoms.  Professional evaluation is your certainty of proper diagnosis and treatment.  We have an extensive periodontal program at Centercare, so please contact us.