Thankfully, it is never too late to get treatment for gum disease. Your specialized hygienic can complete a full diagnosis to help you determine what stage your gum disease has advanced to. Several treatment solutions may be offered depending on the severity of your condition.
Is it too late for me to have treatment? It's never too late to seek treatment for gum disease, and the degree of treatment you require will depend on how advanced it is.
Periodontitis is the second stage of gum disease. Once you reach this stage, the damage done to your gum tissue is irreversible. Your gums may form a pocket below the gumline that traps food and bacteria. Other signs include increased swelling or redness of the gums and persistent bad breath even after brushing.
If you have mild gingivitis, it can take weeks or even months for it to turn into periodontitis. However, if you have severe gingivitis, it can progress into periodontitis in as little as a few days. This is why it is so important to see a dentist as soon as you notice any symptoms of gingivitis.
Gum disease isn't curable. It's only manageable. But you can't successfully manage gum disease without the help of a dentist or periodontist.
They may experience receding gums, loosening teeth, or tooth loss when it progresses into severe periodontal disease. If you wonder if you can live with this disease, the answer is yes. In general, periodontal disease does not cause pain, which is one of the reasons it develops into a severe condition.
When allowed to progress, the gums start to separate from the teeth, and pockets develop. Bacteria accumulate in these spaces, destroying gum tissue and bone, eventually leading to tooth loss. Individual teeth can be affected, or your entire mouth can be at risk.
Stage 4: Progressive Periodontitis
This stage involves teeth looseness, shifting teeth, red, swollen and painful gums, often forming an abscess. The end result — eating and even smiling is hard and painful, and you may lose most of your teeth.
Stage 2: Periodontitis
Your gums begin to form “pockets,” deep hollow areas around the teeth that trap food, plaque, and bacteria. Your gums will recede and form gaps between your teeth. Immediate treatment is necessary to prevent further damage and tooth loss.
Moderate Periodontitis
Teeth may become loose and wiggly, and the jaw is beginning to become affected and infected, too. If you have stage four gum disease, you may sometimes experience a foul-tasting discharge from your swollen gums. This is a serious situation that merits a visit to your dentist right away.
Periodontitis (per-e-o-don-TIE-tis), also called gum disease, is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue around teeth. Without treatment, periodontitis can destroy the bone that supports your teeth. This can cause teeth to loosen or lead to tooth loss. Periodontitis is common but can usually be prevented.
Almost half, 47.2%, of all adults aged 30 years and older have some form of gum disease. Gum disease increases with age. 70.1% of adults 65 years and older have periodontal disease. Smoking can put you at risk for gum problems.
Advanced stages of gum disease typically produce irreversible damage to bone and connective tissues; however, even severe gum disease can be effectively treated by slowing its progression and enhancing periodontal health.
Gum disease is an infection of the gum tissue; it isn't an infection of the teeth. Therefore, it is important to understand that removing your teeth will not actually treat or cure your gum disease. However, extractions can be an important part of your overall treatment plan to get your oral health back on track.
It's never too late for gum grafting as long as the patient has sufficient gum tissue to harvest for the graft. However, the success rate of the procedure may be lower in cases where the patient has advanced gum disease or other underlying health issues that can affect the healing process.
The simple answer is, no. If your gums are damaged by, for example periodontitis, the most severe form of gum disease, it's not possible for receding gums to grow back. However, even though receding gums can't be reversed there are treatments that can help to stop the problem from getting worse.
The final stage is advanced periodontal disease. It occurs when the infection deepens even further. Advanced periodontal disease causes red, swollen gums that ooze pus, cold sensitivity, further loosening of teeth, severe bone loss, painful chewing, and severe halitosis (bad breath).
The effects of stage three periodontitis cannot be reversed. At this point, the probing depths have reached six to seven millimeters. Bacteria is not only attacking your bone but can also affect your immune system and bloodstream.
Advanced Gum Disease (Periodontitis) Can't Be Reversed
However, that doesn't mean you have to give up! While periodontitis cannot be completely eliminated, it's entirely possible to control it with regular periodontal care.
Stage 3: Advanced Periodontitis
This stage can even make a patient more likely to develop other systemic health conditions (such as diabetes and heart disease) because the oral bacteria can easily enter the bloodstream and cause damaging inflammation.
While LISTERINE® mouthwash products can help prevent early gum disease, they are not indicated to treat periodontitis.
3 mm - 5 mm with bleeding: It's very likely that gums with these measurements have early gum disease. 5 mm - 7 mm with bleeding: Besides almost certain gum disease, bone loss and tissue damage are also possible. 7 mm+ with bleeding: Pockets deeper than 7 mm means advanced gum disease is certain.
Overall, 42.2% (standard error, ± 1.4) of adults 30 years or older in the United States had total periodontitis, consisting of 7.8% with severe periodontitis and 34.4% with nonsevere periodontitis. The prevalence of nonsevere (mild or moderate) and of total—but not of severe—periodontitis increased with age.
47.2% of adults aged 30 years and older have some form of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease increases with age, 70.1% of adults 65 years and older have periodontal disease.
In addition to poor oral health, periodontitis can result in poor overall health. Research highlights an important link between oral health and whole-body health. People with periodontitis have a higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke, dementia and other serious health issues.