Gum disease is common in adults, and many people will suffer from some form of it in their lifetime; the reasons for it will vary. But did you know that a pregnant woman can contract gum disease because of the hormonal changes happening in the rest of her body? It’s true. That’s one reason why it’s especially important that pregnant women practice good quality routine oral care throughout their pregnancy.

Do you treat a pregnant woman for gum disease?

The early stages of gum disease, called gingivitis, are easy to treat. At this stage, the gums are swollen and tender. Someone practicing good quality oral care may be able to fight gum disease at these initial stages naturally: brushing and flossing regularly, and doing it well, making sure to clean all areas of the tooth; Vitamin C (which can help to combat gingivitis, and could be taken naturally through certain fruits and vegetables or supplemented) and Vitamin A, which helps the teeth and bones to grow (Vitamin A does have certain drawbacks and limits and before you take on any extra Vitamin A in supplement, consult with you doctor first); also, an at-home remedy to reduce inflammation in the mouth is to gurgle with salt water twice daily. More severe cases of gum disease will be handled on a case-by-case basis between you, your doctor, and your periodontist.

More severe cases of gum disease involve sensitive teeth, teeth that move suddenly out of place, teeth that become loose altogether, and teeth that hurt when you chew food (obviously, these symptoms could also be symptoms of other oral problems, and Dr. Manhart will be able to determine which it is). And if gum disease evolves to the more severe periodontal disease, it will become more difficult to treat. That’s why early detection is very important to a swift and non-invasive treatment. Remember it is very important to the treatment of gum disease that it’s caught in its earliest stages.

If you have any questions as to how to keep a quality oral care routine during your pregnancy call Dr. Manhart’s office today, schedule an appointment.

Recently, the routine practice of flossing has come under fire as being a nonsensical and ineffective way to clean the space between our teeth down to the gum line. Of course, the study got a ton of press, and news outlets everywhere were running ad hoc with the story as if it were revolutionary and based entirely in fact. As the story evolved through the news outlets it grew bigger, as stories tend to do, claiming that even the federal government’s health agencies also believed flossing to be a waste of everyone’s time. But that’s not true. The federal governments health agencies, as well as the ADA (American Dental Association) all claim flossing as an important, everyday practice.

Flossing is important because it helps to remove the plaque that builds up in the spaces between our teeth. Floss, or an interdental cleaner, scrapes away the plaque that builds up there. If plaque is allowed free reign to grow rampant, then you are likely to see problems such as gum disease develop, and, if the initial stages of gum disease are not dealt with appropriately (and remember, oftentimes gum disease has very little symptom in its early stages) it will progress to the more chronic stages—periodontal disease.

Flossing Refresher

It’s important to keep the practice of flossing between our teeth routine, done once daily. To floss, simply purchase a spool—it comes in a few different sizes—strand widths—and many different flavors, and pull from the spool about eight to ten inches of floss. Wrap the tag ends of the floss around opposing fingers, keeping a few inches of open space between your hands so that you may maneuver it down into the spaces between the teeth. Then use the floss to scrub the faces of the teeth with the floss, cleaning all the areas between the teeth down to the gum line. It’s a pretty standard, simple practice, although it’s often overlooked by many in their daily oral routine.

Remember to keep flossing once every day, keep brushing twice daily, that initial prevention is the best treatment for gum disease.

Make an appointment with Dr. Manhart today for all of your oral health needs.

There’s no safe alternative for tobacco, however, there’s an opinion out there that the use of e-cigarettes or vaporizers are more health conscious—there’s even advertisements claiming that it’s just a harmless vapor, nothing dangerous. Hopefully we’re seeing through those advertisements, because e-cigarettes are far from being healthy, or even safe.

E-cigarettes

For those of you who don’t know, e-cigarettes are refillable modern-looking pipe or cigarette-looking devices, that use battery power to vaporize a nicotine-type solution, which is then inhaled.

Because e-cigarettes are relatively new, there is very little, if any, standards in place to govern the substances used. Therefore, there’s no control over what the level of contaminants are—contaminants include cancer-causing carcinogens, some of which are found in products like anti-freeze, etc. Also, because e-cigarettes are new, it is impossible to know what exactly the adverse health effects of “vaping” are. However, what we know for sure is that nicotine in any dose has adverse health effects on bodies. E-cigarette companies like to state that the levels of nicotine are much lower than that from a classic tobacco cigarette, also claim that the nicotine doesn’t have the same adverse effects on a person’s health because it’s not being burnt—understand, however, that regardless of the severity of the nicotine intake, nicotine in any amount of form has a negative effect on your body, and your oral health.

E-cigarettes and oral health

Studies have shown that nicotine causes our gum tissues to recede, and these recessed pockets can become likely sights for gingivitis or the more severe periodontal disease. There’s information on the internet that vaping will benefit a person’s gum health. However, this has been shown to be false. The reasons for this myth—yes, we’re calling it a myth—are varied, but to put it simply, nicotine usage in any dosage will cause inflammation in the gum tissues. This inflammation makes the gum tissue appear healthy—vibrant pink, etc. But the problem is that the inflammation is only masking the underlying issues, and the gum tissue is, in fact, still receding from the teeth.

The signs for gum disease are the same for the person using an e-cigarette. Your gums will bleed, they will have receded from the teeth, and pockets of space will form around the base of the tooth. If you think you are suffering from gum disease, make an appointment with your periodontist immediately, as early detection is essential in a successful treatment of the disease.

If you are experiencing periodontal disease, please schedule an appointment today with your Periodontal Specialist today!