Oral Health Won’t Wait, Even if You Do
If you’re one of the countless people who may be experiencing gum problems, have seriously compromised teeth, or have lost one or more teeth due to severe decay or oral trauma, you may have put off seeking treatment – and that’s not good! During busy times such as right now, it’s easy to understand why you might tend to put off care but, unfortunately, the bacteria and other factors that cause periodontal and related issues don’t take holidays and never procrastinate. If you have these problems, please contact a skilled oral healthcare provider right away.
Leading periodontist and implantology expert Dr. Peiman Soleymani and our team of highly skilled and compassionate oral health specialists at Beverly Hills Periodontics & Dental Implant Center have been caring for patients from throughout Greater Los Angeles for years, and we’ve seen just about every important oral health issue there is. While no two patients are the same, their cases all have one thing in common – problems could have been reduced or prevented with prompt treatment.
Periodontal Illness
Studies have shown that 50 percent of the US population 30 years or older has some degree of periodontal illness. Gingivitis is relatively mild and generally asymptomatic. If you are starting to see even mild symptoms, there’s a chance your case is more advanced and may have progressed into more serious periodontitis.
The most common obvious signs that it’s a must to have periodontal issues looked at include pain, loose teeth, pus oozing from gums, persistent bad breath (halitosis), a lingering bad taste, recessed gums (when teeth pull away from gums) as well as painful and/or bleeding gums. Bleeding doesn’t have to be profuse to be a concern. Even a light pink toothbrush is reason enough to reach out for help immediately.
It’s hard to understate the importance of getting periodontal disease treatment quickly. Left unchecked, periodontitis can lead first to painful infection, the loss of one or more teeth, and eventually, the loss of an entire row of teeth.
More Bad News
As bad as losing teeth might sound, and as excruciating as the inevitable toothaches can be, it gets worse because lost teeth lead to bone loss in the jaw and facial bones. Over time, this can lead to what doctors call facial collapse, the sunken look we associate with older and middle-aged people who are unhoused and/or have long-term substance abuse problems.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, periodontal issues have been associated with numerous systemic illnesses. While researchers have not established direct casualty, people with periodontal problems also have higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and dementia. The problems may make each other worse so it’s hard to identify which is the cause and which is the result.
Fortunately, there are many things an outstanding periodontist like Dr. Soleymani can do to stop or reduce bone loss. For people with gingivitis and periodontitis who have caught the illness in time, often a procedure called root planning and scaling, aka deep cleaning, combined with better oral hygiene can solve periodontal issues and prevent further loss of teeth and bone. When that isn’t enough, numerous techniques are available to treat more advanced cases including osseous surgery, bone grafting, and laser therapies.
Missing Teeth – An Oral Health Timebomb
Another issue where people may tend to put off getting help is dealing with teeth loss due to advanced tooth decay or periodontal problems as well as trauma. Regardless of how teeth are lost, they should be replaced quickly. There are many physical and psychological problems related to unreplaced missing teeth. Dentures and bridgework help most of them and are vastly better than nothing. Unfortunately, they are not a complete solution.
The most insidious issue with edentulous spaces is that they accelerate bone loss because of the lack of stimulation from the missing teeth. As you might guess, this is a frequent cause of facial collapse.
Dental Implants – The Gold Standard Replacement for Teeth
At present, the only teeth replacements that address bone loss are dental implants – one of many reasons why oral health experts and satisfied patients agree that they are the gold standards in tooth replacement. Getting a single dental implant can help tremendously in the prevention of issues such as future crooked teeth or cracking adjacent teeth because of excess force on fewer teeth. However, people who have lost even an entire row of teeth should not be discouraged. Implant bridges can replace multiple teeth, while all-on-four implants can replace a full row of teeth in one procedure.
Your Mouth Can’t Wait – Get Started Now!
If you are dealing with periodontal problems or have missing or compromised teeth that may require extraction, nationally respected periodontist and implantologist Dr. Peiman Soleymani and his team at the Beverly Hills Periodontics & Implant Center are widely considered among the best in California and nationwide. To learn more, use the phone number on your screen to call us or by using the form on our contact page.
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