With Thanksgiving nearly here, you may feel like getting some cosmetic dentistry. Fair enough – you probably want to look nice when seeing your friends and distant relatives. However, if you already have infected gums, you’ll need to hold off on that task. The truth is that you should always get gum disease treatment before cosmetic dental work. As for why that’s the case, let your Mangum dentist explain in this helpful holiday primer.
Remind Me: What’s Gum Disease?
Naturally, you must know what gum disease is before anything else. You won’t grasp why it should be treated first otherwise.
Gum disease is simply an infection of your gums – the soft tissues around your teeth. In general, it occurs when plaque builds in your mouth from poor eating, bad oral care, and similar factors. This buildup initially causes the disease’s first form – gingivitis – that inflames your gums. As the inflammation worsens, it becomes a full-blown infection (periodontitis) that attacks your gums and jaw.
When left unchecked, gum disease is a grave threat to oral health. It can cause your gums to recede, your jaws to shrink, and your teeth to fall out. While such effects can be repaired or treated, the dental work needed to do so is extensive.
Treat Gum Disease First, Then Smile Flaws
While you may want a gorgeous smile for Turkey Day, your oral health should take priority. It’s best to treat gum disease before considering cosmetic dental work.
In particular, some cosmetic procedures make cavities and gum disease hard to detect. Key among these are porcelain veneers and dental crowns; they can hide relevant symptoms and smile flaws. If you got them before fixing your gum disease, your dentist may struggle to treat your gums later.
All that said, you don’t need to feel antsy or impatient. Any toothy faults– whether chips, cracks, or stains – can be fixed once your infection is under control.
How Dentists Treat Gum Disease
Dentists often have several ways to effectively treat gum disease. For example, our own office has the following procedures:
- Scaling and Root Planing – The “traditional” treatment for gum disease, scaling and root planing act as a very deep cleaning of your gum line. Once scaling removes plaque from the roots of your teeth, root planing smoothes those roots so they healthily reattach to your gums.
- Antibiotic Therapy – You may need antibiotic therapy after a deep gum cleaning. This service uses an antibiotic to control your mouth’s bacteria levels.
When gums are in bad shape, you should get gum disease treatment before cosmetic dental work. You can then focus on making your smile stunning!
About the Practice
333 Dental Care is based in Mangum, OK. Led by Dr. Dustin C. Lively, our practice takes a faith-based approach to dentistry that helps you feel at home. We make our preventive, cosmetic, and restorative services as easy and effective for patients as possible. Whether you need gum disease treatment or dental cosmetics, our team will help your smile thrive! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (580)-782-2552.