Periodontal Disease and your General Health
We recently welcomed a new patient who came to see us about upgrading his smile. He had a mouth-full of porcelain crowns and veneers done in the past that he was no longer happy with. My concern, when we saw him, was the bright redness of his gums right around each of his restorations. The margins of the restorations are breaking down, retaining plaque, and causing this gum inflammation. I told him his tissue is the first issue, then we can improve the appearance of his smile. He agreed with my concern, and we scheduled his first hygiene visit this week. I sent him home with the abstracts of several articles relating to periodontal disease in his mouth (the redness, puffiness, and recession of his gums) to his general health. Periodontal disease has been linked to tooth loss, subclinical atherosclerosis, and future stroke. Gum disease, also, may affect the development and course of systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and low birth weight. Now, he can’t get started quick enough!
