For many patients, tooth loss is the result of the severe progression of gum disease, a chronic issue that develops when plaque and tartar overwhelm your gum line. In fact, severe gum disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss, so it’s no surprise that many patients who want dental implants may also have to contend with gum disease first. At our Santa Rosa, CA, dental office, we can help you effectively control your gum disease and prevent it from causing more damage, then help you rebuild your full, healthy smile with an appropriate number of dental implants.
Understanding gum disease’s effects
The reason gum disease is so destructive to your smile is because it specifically erodes its supportive structures – your gums (periodontal tissues) and jawbone structure. When oral bacteria first infect your gums, the condition is known as gingivitis and results in increasingly worse inflammation of your gum tissues. This can quickly progress into more serious gum disease and more severe damage to your gums, resulting in symptoms like bleeding gums and worse gum tissue inflammation. In its severe form, gum disease also attacks the jawbone structure that lies underneath your gums and supports your teeth roots, potentially causing you to lose one or more teeth.
Gum disease and the loss of your teeth
When you lose teeth to accidental trauma or have to have a tooth extracted, replacing the lost tooth may be simple. However, gum disease doesn’t just affect the teeth that you lose, it also impacts the entire foundation of your smile. Because it’s progressive, gum disease will continue to cause more damage the longer it’s left untreated, and your risks of losing more teeth will continue to grow. Without a strong, healthy foundation free of gum disease, you may not be able to receive dental implant posts to replace your lost teeth and rebuild your smile.
What to do before getting implants
Fortunately, having gum disease doesn’t mean you can never replace your lost teeth with dental implants. With proper care and maintenance, you can successfully restore your healthy gum tissues and stop the progression of gum disease to prevent further complications. Once your gum disease is under control, we can work with you to plan your dental implant treatment and complete your smile restoration. Ongoing care for your new smile may include routine preventive care to keep an especially close eye on your gum disease.
Learn more about gum disease and dental implants
If you’ve lost teeth to gum disease, then getting it under control may be the first step to rebuilding your smile with dental implants. For more information about how to deal with tooth loss, schedule a consultation by calling Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.