Gum Disease (medical term periodontitis) has been referred to as a silent epidemic. Many people actually suffer from gum disease and many are unaware of this condition. In the USA over half of adults over the age of 30 have some form of gum disease and potentially 85% of all Americans suffer from gum disease.
Some interesting facts:
1. Gum disease is contagious – you can get gum disease from kissing or even sharing utensils, thus a parent can pass on gum disease to children simply by sharing utensils.
2. Gum disease is “silent” – you may not even know that you have gum diseases until an advanced stage of the disease
3. Gum disease is chronic – our bodies work around the clock to combat the bacterial infection associated with gum disease and it leaves us vulnerable to other diseases
These are quite astounding statistics and facts. In 2012 a national and global awareness campaign was launched in an effort to raise public awareness of gum disease, and February 2020 has been designated “Gum Disease Awareness Month”.
You might ask yourself “so is gum disease such a huge problem to health?” The answer is a resounding YES! The reason being that there are links between gum disease and other health conditions including even very serious diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and dementia, pregnancy complications and birth defects, respiratory disease, arthritis, erectile dysfunction, osteoporosis and even obesity, not to mention all the things going on in the mouth itself, which ultimately lead to deep pockets of infection, severe bone loss and eventually teeth falling out because of the loss of the supporting bone.
There are risk factors to be aware of to help us reduce the probability of getting gum disease, and in many cases (though not all), gum disease is totally preventable. Taking care of your teeth and gums is always the least painful and least expensive path to good oral health.
I thoroughly also recommend professional cleaning at the dentist every 6 months to ensure that no problems are developing and if so, that they can be addressed in the very early stages which can lead to better outcomes.
If you would like more information about gum disease, I can highly recommend that you visit this site: https://fightgumdisease.com.au/
For further information, please always feel free to discuss any issues when you visit for your regular dental check-ups. Our check-up visits are very competitive and we offer Hicaps for those in a health fund. Whilst we are highly trained in both implant and cosmetic dentistry, we also offer general dentistry to service all your general dental needs.
Regards
John 🙂
