This three-part article series provides a brief overview of gum disease: its causes, symptoms, preventative measures and treatment.

1. Cosmetic Dentist in Wilmington Gives Fast and
Furious Facts About Gum Disease, PART 2
This three-part article series provides a brief overview of gum disease:
its causes, symptoms, preventative measures and treatment.
Welcome to the second installment of this three-part article series on
gum disease and the terrible threat it poses to the oral health of our
Wilmington community. Previously, in Part 1 of the series, an
experienced dental implant surgeon explained:
• What gum disease is: a persistent bacterial infection of the gums
and structures surrounding the teeth and tooth roots.
• The difference between gingivitis (beginning stages of gum
disease) and periodontitis (advanced stages of gum disease).
• And Finally, the causes of gum disease: bad oral hygiene, not
seeing your dentist and oral hygienist for check-ups, an unhealthy
diet, tobacco-use, drug abuse and excessive alcohol consumption.

2. Gum disease is also linked with certain medications and hormonal
fluctuations, such as those experienced during pregnancy, and it
shares a relationship with other systemic disease, including heart
disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
What are the Symptoms of Gum Disease?
“Gum disease is essentially caused by excessive numbers of certain
kinds of oral bacteria,” explains a dental implant surgeon in
Wilmington. “These microorganisms feed on sugars in your mouth,
which are always present between brushing and flossing. They then
excrete wastes that are highly acidic and it’s these wastes that begin
decaying the enamel of your teeth, causing cavities. They also irritate
the gum tissue because of their acid content and this is what causes
the beginning stages of gum disease: gingivitis.
Symptoms at this stage can include:
• Red, angry-looking, inflamed gums
• Swollen gum tissue, particularly between the teeth
• Chronic bad breath
• Your gums bleed quite easily when brushing
• The appearance of yellowish-white deposits on your teeth,
particularly between them and at the gum margin.
• A bad taste in your mouth between brushes.
Left without treatment or improved oral hygiene, gingivitis can
progress to periodontitis or full-blown gum disease.

3. “At this stage, the bacteria in your mouth have begun to migrate
down into the soft gum tissue surrounding the teeth. Within the safe
confines of the gingival sulci, they are allowed to proliferate
unhindered and produce acidic wastes that can corrode your tooth
roots and destroy the tissues that hold them in place, including the
supporting jawbone. Eventually, your teeth will become loose and fall
out,” warns the cosmetic dentist in Wilmington.
Symptoms at the stage of periodontitis can include (in addition to
those mentioned above):
• Noticeable decay (a brown mottling) of your tooth crowns
• A receding gum line that is exposing the roots of the teeth
• A persistent foul taste in your mouth and bad breath
• Pus that wells up from your gums surrounding the teeth when
gently pushed
• The development of oral sores and lesions
• Teeth that feel loose
• Eventually, tooth loss.
The Link Between Gum Disease and General Health
“Prompt treatment for gum disease is so necessary because it can
eventually lead to tooth loss, which comes with a long list of
challenges and struggles,” say Wilmington dentists. “But another
factor to take into account is that gum disease is a systemic disease,

4. which means that it affects all the organs and systems in your body,
not just your mouth.”
Since the oral cavity is connected with the rest of the body via the
respiratory system and the digestive system, this should make perfect
sense. Yet, many Wilmington residents don’t make the connection
between the health of their mouths and the health of their bodies; if
they did, they would certainly brush their teeth more frequently!
“People with advanced gum disease are also at a greater risk of
developing diabetes, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis,
dementia and heart, respiratory, liver and kidney disease. Pregnant
women are at risk of going into preterm labor and of having low birth
weight babies. It’s truly shocking to learn of the spectrum of illnesses
that are associated with an unhealthy mouth! But it all makes sense
when you consider that your mouth is your body’s primary ingress
for sustenance and infection,” explains a Wilmington dental implant
surgeon.
Stay Tuned for Part 3
Stay tuned for the final installment of this three-part article series
read more hard and fast facts about gum disease and how it can be
treated and prevented.