Gum Disease: Symptoms, Stages, Prevention, and Treatment Options in Istanbul, Turkey

Written by Dr. Şükran Baycan (DentSpa)

What Exactly Is a Gum Desease and Why Does It Happen?

So you wake up one bright and early day and start to brush your teeth. Just then, you notice that your gums are swollen, miraculously overnight, at that.

That would freak you out, wouldn’t it?

Of course, you may be right to attribute it to stress or that you brushed your teeth a bit too aggressively. But there is another option: You could simply be suffering from gum disease.

While this is probably not what you wanted to hear, but based upon those “small” symptoms, it is not unreasonable to assume that there is something more seriously wrong with your gum.

Gum disease is a destructive oral condition that can make you lose all of your teeth if not caught and treated promptly. The great news is that it is one of the most preventable dental problems out there.

In the next parts of this article, we will provide information regarding what gum disease is. We will also look at some of the early indicators of gum disease and proven methods to prevent it.

Understanding Gum Disease

Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, is what happens when the tissues holding your teeth decide they’ve had enough. It starts with plaque—that sticky, grimy film of bacteria you keep ignoring. And if you don’t clean it off, it hardens into tartar, and let me tell you, tartar does not play around.

That stuff sticks to your teeth like it pays rent, and before you know it, your gums are irritated, inflamed, and ready to start a whole problem you could’ve avoided in the first place.

Once tartar forms below your gum line, it starts to irritate your gums. You will begin to experience gum disease symptoms like:

• Redness
• Swelling
• Inflammation
• Visible changes in bite alignment

Why Are Gums Important?

Gums provide several very important roles for your oral health. Below are some of them

1. Your gums hold your teeth in place, so if you let your gums get bad enough, you’ll lose your teeth.
2. They protect the root and nerve of your tooth from getting damaged.
3. Helps to maintain healthy bone in the lower jaw area where your teeth sit.
4. Acts as a barrier to prevent bacteria from entering your bloodstream through your mouth.

Signs And Symptoms That Indicate Gum Disease

Gum disease is difficult to detect in its early stages, as the symptoms may be mild. Some things to watch for include:

• Bleeding gums: This is often the first sign of gum disease. As Dr. Şükran Baycan, an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at DentSpa, explains, “Healthy gums don’t bleed. If you see blood frequently when brushing, it means your gums are telling you something’s wrong. It’s not normal, and it’s not due to brushing too hard.”
• Blood in Mouth When Not Brushing/Flossing: Just like above, this isn’t normal, and it may indicate gum disease.
• Gum Recession: If you’ve noticed your gums pulling back away from your teeth and a space between the two has formed, you may have gum disease.
• Bad Breath: Bad breath (halitosis), or an unpleasant taste in your mouth, is an additional indicator that something may be wrong with your gums.
• Sensitive Teeth: Sensitivity to the temperature of the air you breathe, whether hot or cold, as well as to hot/cold foods, indicates you have gum disease.
• Teeth Falling Out: If your teeth are falling out on their own, and there’s no apparent reason for it, you may have gum disease.

Stages of Gum Disease

There are four distinct stages of gum disease. We shall briefly explain them in this section

Gingivitis

At this stage, gum disease is reversible because it is still in its mildest form. Plaque has already formed, and it has started irritating your gums, causing them to look red and swollen. When you brush or floss, you will even notice that your gums are bleeding.

The good news, though, is that your jawbone or connective tissue has not been damaged yet at this stage. With proper oral hygiene and professional cleaning, your gums’ health would be restored

Early Periodontitis

If you allow gingivitis to go untreated, it is destined to advance to periodontitis. At this stage, the bacteria will have spread throughout your mouth and begin attacking the bone structure that supports your teeth.

According to Dr. Şükran Baycan of DentSpa, “once periodontitis develops, we can stop the progression of the disease, but we can’t totally reverse the damage that was done.” The bone and tissue that were lost will never grow back by itself; therefore, it is absolutely imperative to catch and treat gingivitis early.

Some symptoms you will notice include:

• Persistent bad breath (No matter how well you brush)
• Gaps start to appear between your teeth
• Possible pus between the gum and the teeth
• Slight looseness in teeth

Professional cleaning processes such as Root Planing, Scaling, and antibiotics can help slow down the disease.

Moderate Periodontitis

Moderate periodontitis is a more advanced state of gum disease. At this stage, the infection has destroyed the bone structure that supports your teeth and the surrounding tissues.

Additional symptoms include:

• Moderate Bone Loss
• Continuous bleeding of the gums
• Recession of the gums.
• Wide spaces between the teeth

Advanced Periodontitis

This is the worst possible stage of gum disease. At this stage, the gums would have receded significantly, and a significant amount of your bone structure has been destroyed.

Additional symptoms include:

• Extreme Halitosis
• Presence of Pus along the gumline
• Loss of teeth without any apparent reason
• Wide spaces between teeth

Treatment options for advanced periodontitis are very aggressive and often require considerable amounts of dental work. Unfortunately, it is also very costly.

Possible treatment options include:

• Surgical removal of infected tissue from the deep pockets created between the teeth and gums.
• Bone Graft Surgery to repair lost bone.
• Gum graft surgery to cover exposed roots.
• Extraction of teeth that are too damaged to save.
• Installation of Dental Implants in place of lost teeth.

Please remember that none of the aggressive procedures mentioned above guarantees the safety of the remaining teeth. However, the encouraging news is that gingivitis will not develop straight into periodontitis immediately – it might take months or even years. So, yes, you have plenty of time to work on the problem.

Prevention of Gum Disease

Now that you know how bad gum disease can be, let’s go to the next step: Prevention. What can you do now to prevent the formation of tartar and keep your gums healthy? Here are the answers you are looking for.

• Brush the teeth and gums at least twice daily. Use a toothbrush having soft bristles, so as not to injure the gums. Also see that you replace your toothbrush every three months.
• Floss the teeth every day. Use a clean portion of floss for each tooth. Flossing gives the best method of cleaning off plaque and food materials from the teeth.
• Regular Professional Cleaning. Home care is not always enough. The professionals can do it better. The professional cleaning will remove the stubborn tartar and polish the teeth (which would make it more difficult for plaque to adhere) and clean the areas of the gums, etc.
• Eat wholesome foods and drink sufficient quantity of water. Your food has a great deal to do with the health of your gums. Therefore, beware of too much alcohol and acidic foods. Stay Hydrated Always
• Quit Smoking. Besides the health of your gums, quitting smoking is of tremendous help to the health of your entire body.
• Get Regular Visits To The Dentist. You do not have to have gum disease to go to the dentist. Frequent Visits to your dentist for check-ups and cleanings give you the opportunity of correctly finding problems before they develop into bigger problems.

Get The Help You Need Today

While gum diseases are serious, they are also very easily cured and prevented. What is needed is to recognize the warning signals early and treat them before becoming too serious.

Once you find the problem, you should be able to, with adequate home care, regain a part of your gum health. But, if the disease has progressed beyond what you can take care of, you need the help of an experienced and qualified dentist.

For more than 25 years, DentSpa has provided patients with exceptional periodontal care. They were recently named the best dental clinic in Europe, perhaps thanks to their advanced techniques and a patient-first way of doing things.

Book a consultation with DentSpa today.

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FAQ’s regarding Gum Disease