Many more people than you would think suffer from gum disease. Research shows that nearly half the adult population of the U.S. is affected by some stage of periodontal disease. So what exactly is periodontal disease? This dental health problem, like many others is caused by bacteria in your mouth that builds up in the form of plaque on your teeth. In time, this plaque will harden and spread beneath your gums and result in gum disease.

Periodontal disease is not something to be taken lightly, as it is actually the leading cause of tooth loss. Most think that people lose their teeth naturally because of old age, but the majority of the time, tooth loss is not natural, but rather a result of periodontal disease. It is essential that you do everything you can to prevent and treat periodontal disease before it ruins your smile. A dentist in Marietta, GA can help you to fight off this prevalent dental problem.

If you have gum disease, a dentist can help you to treat it in a number of ways. First, the dentist will probably do a deep cleaning to remove all the plaque from your smile. If there are pockets in your gums and the plaque has spread deep beneath the gums, a more intensive cleaning called scaling and planing may be necessary. Some dentists may also provide special topical or oral medications that will kill the infection and bacteria, and in some cases, diseased gum tissue may need to be removed so that healthy tissue can recover. Once the dentist has helped you get your periodontal disease under control, it is up to you to prevent it from recurring with proper oral hygiene paired with your regular visits to the dentist.