Periodontist North Providence, RI
A Healthy Smile for a Healthy Body
The Primary Cause of Lost Teeth
Many people assume that tooth loss is due to decay. It’s not. It’s because of gum disease. And it can be completely unnoticeable right up until you lose your teeth. Symptoms include bleeding gums when you brush or floss and loose or shifting teeth. If you’ve been told you need gum surgery, you will be glad to know that it’s possible to control gum disease with a variety of non-surgical methods.
Gum Disease Can Contribute to Heart Disease and Even Stroke
Recent medical research has caused many doctors to reach a startling conclusion: gum disease, stroke, and heart disease are linked. Since heart disease is usually fatal, it is clear that gum disease is a serious matter. The American Dental Association estimates that 8 out of 10 Americans have periodontal (gum) disease. If this were any other affliction, such as AIDS or tuberculosis, it would be considered an epidemic! Most periodontists think it is just that. They also know that gum disease would never be labeled an epidemic because “no one ever dies from it.” The worst outcome is that you lose your teeth. Not pleasant – but certainly not life-threatening. But that’s all changed.
Now the
Good News
For advanced periodontal disease, the best treatment is surgery at our office in Providence, RI. Gum surgery is never fun, but it is almost always successful in controlling the condition, and it’s usually covered by common insurance plans. With mild periodontal disease, there are very effective NON-surgical procedures that, coupled with improved dental hygiene, can virtually halt the spread of the disease. This, too, is usually covered under most dental insurance plans.
What’s So Bad About Losing a Tooth?
Losing even a single tooth can cause the other teeth to shift and move around – not good. This can affect chewing and your ability to absorb nutrients from your food. Other bad things can happen; your face will change shape, often looking “sunken.” This can make you look much older than you really are. Your speech can be affected. Because it’s harder to chew with missing teeth, you may find yourself favoring softer foods and more carbohydrates, which can cause you to gain weight. The best way to treat a missing tooth (or missing teeth) is with dental implants. An implant can replace one tooth or many. They can be made to look so natural that even a dentist has to look hard to tell the difference.
Introducing Laser Dental Procedures
Our Deka™ CO2 laser is FDA-approved and provides an exciting new way to ease discomfort during dental procedures. Treatments previously performed with scalpels or incisions can now be completed with a laser. Less-invasive treatment means improved results and faster healing. We are able to cosmetically treat uneven gummy smile lines and gum disease, clean and re-contour inflamed tissue around crowns, and heal painful canker sores and mouth ulcers with instant relief! The results are absolutely outstanding!