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Gingivitis is an early stage of gum disease that results when bacteria in your mouth cause inflammation in your gums. This is a common condition, and you can treat it effectively if you are aggressive. Otherwise, it could develop into more advanced gum disease, or periodontitis, and you could lose one or more teeth.

Watch for symptoms of gingivitis so you can ask Dr. Dalessandro for help as soon as you need it. Strategies for treating gingivitis include thoroughly cleaning your teeth and assessing the scope of your gingivitis and how serious the problem is.

Gingivitis: Early Gum Disease

Your mouth contains many bacteria that form plaque, which is a sticky substance. You can get rid of plaque by brushing well, but if you don’t, it can build up on your teeth and form tartar. Bacteria can make your gums inflamed and cause pain and bleeding, or gingivitis. Other symptoms include loose teeth, bad breath, receding gums, and sensitive teeth. You’re at higher risk for gingivitis if you’re a smoker, if you have a weakened immune system, or if you have diabetes.

Assessment and Diagnosis

If you think you recognize the symptoms of gingivitis, contact our Hoffman Estates, IL office to make an appointment. We will ask you about your risk factors for gingivitis and examine your teeth and mouth for signs of red and swollen gums. We may also measure the pockets around your teeth. If they are larger than usual, your gingivitis may be more advanced. Finally, will take some X-rays to get a picture of the bone structure of your jaw.

Deep Cleaning

You can’t get rid of the tartar on your teeth just by brushing at home. Instead, you need a deep cleaning consisting of scaling and root planing. Scaling involves scraping the plaque off of your teeth, both below and above the line of your gum. In root planing, the rough surfaces of your teeth where tartar is more likely to build up are smoothed. A laser may be used to make the procedure more effective, more accurate, and more comfortable.

Gum disease starts quietly and invisibly, but can lead to very serious and noticeable consequences if left untreated. Excess plaque and bacteria around the gum line cause irritation. This irritation can result in the gums pulling away from the teeth. When the gums pull away, they leave pockets between the gums and teeth which become home to more bacteria, leading to more irritation and infection. Gum pockets can get larger, resulting in more severe irritation and infection that can lead to bone loss around the tooth and eventually loss of the tooth itself.

The good news is that we can intervene at any of these stages to provide the periodontal care which will help restore your gums and teeth to health.  One of the procedures we use is osseous surgery. “Osseous” refers to bone tissue, and this treatment works to restore the bone structures supporting your teeth if gum disease has damaged or weakened them.

Healthy gums fit tightly around the teeth, keeping bacteria from affecting the roots and bone. Small pockets can be cleaned in our Hoffman Estates, IL office and plaque removed from tooth areas normally hidden by the gums. But if the pocket has become too deep, normal home and even office cleanings cannot fully treat the gum and bone tissue involved. The bone which holds our teeth securely in our jaws can become pitted and irregular. Osseous surgery can be used not only to clean the area, but to restore gum and bone tissue to health.

After an anesthetic numbs the area, your periodontist will fold back the gum tissue around the affected tooth and bone. The gums will be carefully cleaned. If the bone has become pitted, this offers bacteria another place to grow and cause damage to your tooth structures. We will smooth damaged areas of the bone to their natural shape, where your gum tissue will find it easier to attach to the healthy bone. When we have finished, the gums will be secured around the tooth. After surgery, the pockets will be reduced in size, and you should be able to return to a normal routine of regular gum care.

We know the idea of oral surgery can be intimidating, so talk Dr. Dalessandro us about osseous surgery if it has been recommended for you. We are experienced in preventing gum disease from causing more damage, and in gently restoring your gums and bone to health for your most attractive and lasting smile.

Nobody likes a dry mouth. It is an uncomfortable and sometimes oddly unexplainable sensation that most people like to avoid. It is not a condition that automatically sends you into a panic about your health, however, a dry mouth can be a bother and something you certainly want to change if possible. So, if you find yourself in the unpleasant position of having a dry mouth, here is what you can do.

Chew Sugar-free Gum: Chewing sugar-free gum will stimulate saliva in your mouth. The chewing motion of your jaw and teeth should take care of at least some of your dry mouth problem.

Suck on Sugar-free Candy: Similarly to chewing sugar free gum, if you suck on sugar free candy it should create more saliva in your mouth and moisturize it in the process.

Cut out the Caffeine:Caffeine can contribute to a dry mouth so by limiting, or eliminating your intake all together, you may find that your dry mouth is no more.

Stop Using Tobacco Products: Tobacco is another cause of dry mouth. Whether it is smokeless tobacco products or cigarettes, if you stop using them your dry mouth will likely improve. And not to forget, these products are exceedingly bad for your oral health to begin with, so you will be doing your mouth a favor even more so.

Drink Lots of Water: It may seem obvious, but drinking lots of water will likely improve your dry mouth. This is because dry mouth is usually a sign of dehydration, so plenty of fluids will surely help.

Dry mouth can be unpleasant, but it is often easily solved by either drinking more water, or trying one of the previously mentioned techniques. If the problem still persists you can always visit our Hoffman Estates, IL office to see Dr. Dalessandro. More often than not, doing one of the above will leave your mouth more moisturized than it was previously, and hopefully it will be long-lasting as well.

Gum disease is a common problem among adults, and one Dr. Dalessandro and our periodontal team see all too often. Early stages of gum disease are known as gingivitis, or inflammation of the gums. This can progress to more serious gum disease known as periodontitis.

If you notice signs and symptoms of gum disease, take early action to prevent progression of gingivitis to more serious periodontitis and the risk of losing your teeth due to gum loss.

Watch for These Signs and Symptoms

It’s important to watch for signs and symptoms of gum disease, especially if you have risk factors. Early detection at home can help you get treatment sooner so that you don’t risk losing your teeth. These are the classic signs and symptoms of gum disease:

• Inflamed gums, or gums that are red or swollen
• Pain when you chew
• Teeth that are sensitive to heat, cold, sweets, or brushing
• Loose teeth
• Bad breath that you can’t get rid of by brushing or using mouthwash, even when you don’t eat particularly smelly food
• Gums that are sore to the touch or bleed easily, including when you brush your teeth
• Teeth that seem to be taller or longer due to receding gums
• A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
• A change in the way your dentures fit in your mouth

Signs We Look For

When you visit our Hoffman Estates, IL office, we will examine you to see how far your gum disease has progressed. We do this by:

• Discussing your medical history with you to see which risk factors you have
• Checking your gums to see if they are swollen or red, and how far the inflammation has progressed
• Measuring the depth of any pockets around your teeth using a type of ruler called a probe.

Treatment for Gum Disease

Brushing and flossing go a long way toward preventing bacteria from forming acid on your teeth and allowing tartar to build up. However, once you have the beginnings of gum disease, your regular brushing and flossing routine aren’t enough. Dr. Dalessandro can provide more extensive treatment, such as:

• Deep cleaning through scaling and root planing
• Medications to fight the infection
• Surgical treatments, like bone or tissue grafting to replace lost tissue

If you think you may have gum disease, or are concerned about the state of your gum health, be sure to contact our Hoffman Estates, IL office to schedule an appointment. Together, we can help you achieve a lifetime of good oral health.