As far as dental hygiene goes, it’s just as important that you take good care of your gums as much as your teeth. Gum disease can be quite serious if it develops and goes untreated, leading to tooth loss, tooth misalignment, major discomfort, and even issues with your jawbone. When you visit a skilled Northern Virginia cosmetic dentist at our practice, they’ll be able to help treat your gum disease. We’d like to take a brief moment right now to go over the stages of gum disease and what they involve.

Generally, gum disease can be broken into to different stages: gingivitis and periodontitis. The latter has multiple stages involved, but that’s the basic breakdown.

Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease. It occurs as a result of poor dental hygiene, though sometimes it may be caused by an infection as well. The signs of gingivitis are relatively easy to spot. You’ll first notice some swelling and discoloration of the gums. You may also notice bleeding gums.

If gingivitis goes untreated, it will result in early stage periodontitis. During this stage, the symptoms of gingivitis will worsen. You may also notice gum recession, which means the gumline pulling back from the tooth. This will reveal some of the root structure of the tooth and will cause your teeth to become more sensitive. Tooth decay may begin to affect the root structure of the tooth at this stage.

If early stage periodontitis is untreated, it can progress to moderate and advanced periodontitis. In these stages, again the previous symptoms grow worse. Tooth loss is now possible at this point, and your teeth may begin to become misaligned. Serious pain and discomfort are likely at these stages.

If you would like more information about how to prevent gum disease, it’s best that you come to our office for a consultation. We can go into greater depth about the risks of letting gum disease go untreated and will be more than happy to answer all of your questions and concerns. We can also talk about Northern Virginia dental crowns and other matters related to dental health.

To schedule that consultation, feel free to contact our Rockville, Maryland cosmetic dentistry practice today. We look forward to meeting with you.