Dr. Urban on Today’s Dentistry / Taking Ownership of Your Oral Health

I am revisiting a previous article I wrote about oral health and heart disease. I still see an alarming nonchalance with bleeding gums and an unawareness of why it is a concern to dentists.

Let’s suppose you have a bleeding sore on your skin or blood leaking out of other areas of the body. I am sure you would call your doctor because you know something is not quite right. The same is true of gums that bleed or exude pus when you press on them. This means that beyond the bad odor in your mouth something is not quite right.

Fortunately, gums are the fastest healing tissues of the mouth and once detected the bleeding can be abated. Why is this important?

Bleeding of the gums is most often associated with the presence of bacteria and the body’s effort to fight off this bacterial invasion. This immune response varies from individual to individual. It depends on the types of bacteria (over 32 different types and the number keeps climbing), mitigating factors such as the amount of food source (sugars), and the pH of the saliva (low pH or acid is not good).

If this invasion is left unchecked it burrows down into the space between the teeth and gums and into the bloodstream. There is a specific bacteria found in the gum pockets and the heart muscle of disease hearts. This association is still being studied. It can be shown that the presence of bacteria in the blood stream elevate the white blood cell count and increase the inflammatory response. This response is linked to heart disease.

Furthermore, a link has been made to those of us who are inflicted with diabetes. Improvement in oral health has been shown to improve a diabetic’s ability to handle their blood sugar.

Premature births and low birth weights have been impacted with the same proteins found in periodontally diseased gums. The consequences of periodontal disease are still being discovered, but the impact is clear. Periodontal disease is affecting more than just your teeth.

Warning signs that you should know about include gums that bleed when you brush, gums that are red swollen or tender, gums that pull away from teeth, pus or loose teeth, front teeth that begin separating and persistent bad breath. Periodontal disease has a very characteristic odor and can be sensed by those around you..

Treatment will vary according to the severity. The first steps will be good oral hygiene instruction and frequent monitoring. Regular cleanings of the bacteria encrusted surfaces of your teeth is a proven method to stop the infection. Surgery may be needed from the periodontist. Maintenance is required because bacteria can double in population every twenty minutes. I have seen periodontal disease that has been in remission only to suddenly (within 6 weeks) strike up again. That is why frequent monitoring is crucial.

Your dentist is trained to detect early stages of periodontal disease and recommend treatments. Ownership of your health status should keep avoidable problems at a minimum.