The thing about most dental health concerns is that all they need in order to get worse is time. That’s why preventing or seeking prompt treatment for any dental problem is essential to keeping your smile healthy long-term. With gum disease, however, the consequences of becoming severe over time can have implications far beyond the gum tissues that the disease mainly effects. If given enough time, gum disease can lead to serious conditions such as tooth loss, as well as increased risks to your systemic wellbeing that involve excess inflammation.
The nature of diseased gum tissues
Gum disease isn’t the most frequent threat to people’s smiles, but it’s one of the most notable due to the specific way in which it develops and threatens your smile. Like tooth decay, gum disease is caused by an excessive buildup of oral bacteria on your teeth in the form of dental plaque and tartar (calcified plaque). When your gums become diseased, it’s due to excess amounts of these bacteria working their way underneath your gums and buildup on the surfaces of your teeth roots. This leads to an infection and the development of rampant inflammation that your immune system is unable to mitigate on its own.
The worst-case scenario for many patients
When gum disease reaches its severe stages, it can cause enough damage to your gum tissues and the underlying jawbone structure that you lose one or more teeth, or have to have them extracted. This is due to the lack of support now that the foundational tissues around them have eroded so significantly, and it can have long-term implications for your bite’s function and the state of your oral health. Recovering from severe gum disease can require replacing the lost or extracted teeth as well as repairing and restoring extensively damaged gum tissues.
The long-term impacts beyond your oral health
When you lose one or more teeth to gum disease, the loss and the need to manage the disease can impact your oral health and dental care for life. Yet, the implications of severe gum disease can also affect areas of your systemic wellbeing, as well, particularly the inflammation related to the disease’s progression. This inflammation is caused by certain types of oral bacteria that interrupt your immune system’s ability to mitigate your immune system’s response. In severe cases of gum disease, the presence of these bacteria and the resultant tissue inflammation can pose significant risks to your systemic wellbeing, increasing your chances of developing problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and more.
Control gum disease as soon as possible
If given enough time, gum disease can become a significant threat to your oral health, systemic wellbeing, and more. To learn more, contact our office by calling Syosset Dental in Syosset, NY, today at 516-433-2211 or 516-921-1678.
