Gums are a tricky part of the body when it comes to how they are affected by and recover from damage. When it comes to damage from gum disease, specifically, a lot of it depends on how long and how severe the infection lasted and how far it spread. Gum disease starts off with a few minor symptoms and can develop all the way to the point of causing tooth loss. So, it goes without saying that there are a lot of stages in between, and each of those stages has its own level of gum damage. Let's take a closer look at the issue:
Early Stage Gum Disease
Early on the problems are usually as simple as heightened sensitivity to hot or cold stimuli, as well as irritated gums. In this and the briefly following stages the negative effects on the gums can most often times be repaired once treatment begins. The important thing to understand is that if left unchecked, these symptoms will advance to red, inflamed gums, dry mouth, halitosis, and other increasingly unpleasant issues.
Advanced Stage Gum Disease
At this point it is best to realize that the goal needs to be reversing the gum damage, rather than worrying about repairing it. The purpose of treatment now isn't to cure the problem, but simply to manage it and keep the infection from once again taking root and rapidly spreading. And even though all of the damage may not be reversible, through treatment, it can absolutely be restored to a previous stage of health, including a better attachment to the teeth and a pinker, healthier appearance.
And regardless of the specific stage of gum disease that you or someone in your family may be in, coming by our office to see a dental professional as soon as you can is critical in making certain it doesn't advance any further.
Gums are a tricky part of the body when it comes to how they are affected by and recover from damage. When it comes to damage from gum disease, specifically, a lot of it depends on how long and how severe the infection lasted and how far it spread. Gum disease starts off with a few minor symptoms and can develop all the way to the point of causing tooth loss. So, it goes without saying that there are a lot of stages in between, and each of those stages has its own level of gum damage. Let's take a closer look at the issue: