Sugar and Periodontal Disease
There are multiple types of periodontal disease. These include gingivitis, periodontitis, aggressive periodontitis, and chronic periodontitis. All of these types of gum disease are linked to sugar. Sugar is a major contributing factor to the gradual deterioration of your oral health.
The Types of Gum Disease — and Why Sugar Causes Problems
Gingivitis, the earliest form of gum disease, may cause redness, swelling, or slight bleeding. Gingivitis is usually caused by poor oral hygiene. In particular, eating sugary foods and failing to brush fully can contribute to gingivitis. Periodontitis, the next stage of periodontal disease, and it occurs when gingivitis is untreated. Soon, the plaque can move down below the gum line. The gums and even the bone may start wearing away over time.
Aggressive periodontitis causes rapid bone loss, gum decay, and other related problems. Chronic periodontitis is the most common kind of periodontal disease. It causes inflammation and can sometimes cause bone loss if not dealt with. If you don’t deal with periodontal disease, your risk for diabetes and other health problems increases. That means you’ve got to take sugar — and its damaging effects — seriously.
Why Does Sugar Cause So Many Problems?
Your mouth has many different natural bacteria. Quite a few of these bacteria are actually beneficial — however, the bad bacteria can cause very serious damage. The bad bacteria feed on sugar, so even fairly small traces of sugar allow the bacteria to grow and multiply. Once the bad bacteria have eaten the sugar, they start to make acids that are highly damaging to your teeth. This can cause bacterial infections and even more serious periodontal disease fairly quickly if you don’t take action.
What Can You do About Sugar Damage?
There are a couple of things you can do to guard against periodontal disease caused by sugar. Your mouth does try to fight back on its own. The saliva in your mouth constantly performs a remineralization process that replaces the minerals that were leached out of the tooth enamel. However, remineralization isn’t enough on its own — you have to be vigilant about oral hygiene.
Fluoride is a great weapon in the fight against sugar-induced periodontal disease. You can get fluoride in several ways: via your toothpaste, via mouthwashes and mouth rinses, and even though special fluoride treatments at your dentist. However, once the damage is done fluoride really can’t reverse it. As your periodontal dentistry expert, the team at Vero VIP Implants & Periodontics can help you deal with the damage caused by sugar, and can even help with guided bone and tissue regeneration in some cases.
If you’re in a situation where the damage is too severe to save your tooth, that doesn’t mean that the gums and the bone can’t be saved or even partially regenerated. Often, guided bone and tissue regeneration can combine with dental implants to give you the best possible support system for your new dental implants.
Remember, even if you get brand new dental implants it’s still important that you practice excellent oral hygiene. Your gums and bones still need support so that they’re able to support your new dental implants. Sugar is very damaging to not just the teeth but also the gums, the bones, and by extension virtually every part of your body. This doesn’t mean “no sugar, ever” — but it does mean that sugar is something you should eat and drink only in moderation and only occasionally.
Looking for a Dental Practice in Vero Beach, Florida?
Vero VIP Implants & Periodontics is a highly respected dental practice that offers dental care for patients who need help with the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of periodontal disease. The Vero VIP Implants & Periodontics team are also experts in the area of dental implants, so if you need a prosthetic tooth that’s natural and fully functional we can help. We believe in providing supportive and compassionate dental care to all of our patients — in fact, we feel that our patients are part of the family! Contact the office anytime to arrange an appointment!