Here's What Can Happen if Periodontal Disease Goes Untreated

It takes more than brushing to keep your teeth, gums, and oral bones healthy. Every time you eat or drink anything other than water, sugars and acids accumulate on your teeth, which allows oral bacteria to proliferate. Eating also creates a sticky film called plaque, which coats your teeth with bacteria.

Plaque can harden into a rigid, brown substance called tartar. You can’t brush away tartar; only your dentist can remove it with specialized tools. The tartar degrades your enamel, making it easier for bacteria to eat through your enamel and cause decay and infection within your teeth.

Plaque can get under your gum line, where it causes similar havoc. Early periodontal (i.e., gum) disease is called gingivitis, which causes your gums to bleed. You may notice blood when you spit while brushing your teeth or flossing.

About half of women and men under age 30 have some form of periodontal disease. You’re even more likely to develop periodontal disease as you age. More than 70% of adults over 65 have periodontal disease. Men are more likely to develop it than women are, possibly because they’re less likely to see a dentist regularly.

At Miracle Smile Dental, our expert dentist, Nisha Modi, DMD, encourages you to get twice-yearly preventive dentistry services to keep your teeth cavity-free and to prevent periodontal disease. Early treatment at our Aubrey, Texas, office can prevent complications if you develop tooth pain, bleeding gums, or other gum problems.

What happens if you don’t treat periodontal disease? It’s not a pretty picture.

You can lose your teeth

The roots of your teeth anchor themselves in your gums and jawbone. When your gums are healthy, they help keep your teeth secure and stable. 

If you have periodontal disease, your gums are inflamed. You may notice that they’re:

• Tender
• Swollen
• Red
• Bleeding

With treatment, you can keep gingivitis from developing into periodontitis, a gum infection. Symptoms of periodontitis include:

• Bad breath
• Pain when chewing
• Loose teeth
• Sensitive teeth
• Recessed gums

Infections break down the gum tissue, so they can’t hold your teeth in place anymore. Worse, the infection degrades the bone, too, where your tooth roots anchor. You may first notice that they become loose. Eventually, they fall out.

You can lose your jawbone

An infection in your body rarely stays localized without treatment. Infections that affect your teeth and gums can reach your jawbone, too.

When you lose a jawbone, you’re likely to lose your teeth. But you may also lose the healthy lower face contours of your mouth. Without a strong, healthy jawbone, your face becomes shorter.

You can lose your life

Infections in your gums can travel through your bloodstream to affect every organ. Periodontitis can be associated with diseases such as:

Diabetes

Periodontal disease may make it harder to process blood sugar.

Heart disease

The inflammation from a gum infection can enter your bloodstream. Pieces of plaque can break off from your teeth and block blood vessels and arteries or get caught in your heart.

Respiratory disease

Periodontal bacterial infections can travel into your lungs.

Cancer

Men with gum disease are more likely to develop kidney, pancreatic, and blood cancers (49%, 54%, and 30%, respectively).

Alzheimer’s disease

Bacteria from periodontitis may travel to the brain.

The infection can also directly cause a system-wide infection called sepsis. Without fast treatment, sepsis is deadly.

Healthy teeth and gums are essential for your health overall. Prevent gingivitis and periodontitis by brushing twice daily and flossing at least once. Be sure to see us twice annually for a thorough examination, X-rays when necessary, and a professional cleaning to keep your teeth healthy and catch problems early.

If you have painful teeth or swollen gums, call us today at 469-765-3567 or use our convenient online scheduling tool to schedule prevention or treatment services.