You May Have Gum Disease and Not Even Know it

Even if you practice good oral hygiene, which includes brushing your teeth twice and flossing once each day, seeing your dentist regularly and eating a good diet that is loaded with fruits and vegetables, you may still be susceptible to gum disease. Unfortunately, gum disease affects anyone, even those who have healthy oral health habits.

Web MD explains that gingivitis is the earliest form of gum disease and affects three out of four Americans with twenty percent of the population worldwide developing the more serious periodontal disease.

Although it is often easy to miss the early signs of gum disease, as little as 10 percent of adults who suffer actually are aware that they have it, there are some things to look for when it comes to gum disease. If your gums bleed after you brush or floss, are puffy or red, you may have the early signs of gingivitis. Pain is not usually associated with gingivitis, which could be why so many often overlook the signs.

Gingivitis is most commonly caused by poor oral hygiene or improper oral hygiene techniques. People whom don’t brush every day will have left over food particles that will lead to bacteria build up. This will lead to plaque. Plaque is that thick film that will eventually lead to tartar, which can only be removed by your dentist with a deep cleaning, also known as scaling, and root planing.

Gingivitis can be prevented if you follow solid tooth brushing and flossing techniques. If you are not sure that you are brushing your teeth correctly, schedule an appointment with your dentist who will be able to show you how to brush properly. By following proper tooth brushing and flossing techniques you can reverse the early stages of gum disease.

The most important step when it comes to treating gum disease and gingivitis is to stop ignoring the symptoms. Although a little bit of blood on your toothbrush may seem like nothing it is imperative that you schedule an appointment with your dentist as quickly as possible. During your appointment, your dentist may recommend that you improve your home oral habits, which may include adding an FDA antiseptic mouthwash to your daily routine.

Don’t wait until it is too late. Schedule an appointment with your dentist who can check for gum disease.

Can Poor Oral Hygiene Affect your Memory?

If your memory seems to be slowing you down with misplaced reader’s part of your daily routine, it may have something to do with your oral hygiene habits. A recent study conducted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill indicates that bleeding gums and tooth loss may also affect thinking skills for people over the age of 45.

During the study, Gary Slade, co-author of the study, stated that, “We were interested to see if people with poor dental health had relatively poorer cognitive function.” In other words, how do your numbers and word management measure up when it comes to your memory. What the study discovered is mind-boggling.

Mr. Slade added, “What we found was that for every extra tooth that a person had lost or had removed, cognitive function went down a bit.” He also went on to say that, “People who had none of their teeth had poorer cognitive function that people who did have teeth, and people with fewer teeth had poorer cognition than those with more. The same was true when we looked at patients with severe gum disease.”

With analyzed data that was gathered from 1996 to 1998 with 6,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 64, the authors and researchers discovered that the numbers for the thinking, memory, word fluency, word recall and skill with numbers tests was lower for people who had no natural teeth.

The study discovered that thirteen percent of those who participated had no natural teeth. Of those who had teeth, about one-fifth of the study had fewer than twenty remaining teeth. Over twelve percent had serious gum disease with deep gum pockets and bleeding gums.

The researchers of the study also discovered that folks who had more teeth and healthier gum tissue scored better on the tests.

As far as which came first, the chicken or the egg, researchers say that a poor diet lacking in foods that are rich in antioxidants could also be to blame for poor memory health. Combine the two and you may not be able to remember what day it is.

Because gingivitis and periodontitis inflames the gums, most doctors and dentists agree that the disease travels throughout your entire system, which will affect cognitive behavior and cognition.

If your memory isn’t what it used to be and you can’t remember the last time you saw your dentist, schedule an appointment with Country Club Dentistry today.