Periodontal disease, also commonly known as gum disease, can eventually lead to the loss of teeth due to deterioration of the gum tissue underneath. Many Hawaiians have had advanced periodontal disease and ended up with severe dental complications. As gum disease gets worse, the chances of successful treatment diminishes. That is why it is important for the dentist in Waimanalo to diagnose patients as soon as possible .
Ideally, healthy dental patients will visit the dentist at least twice per year. During each visit, the dentist should perform an exam of the mouth to look for various conditions such as tooth decay and mouth cancer. Another objective of the dental exam is to look for signs of periodontal disease. If the gum tissue looks inflamed, it is likely that the patient has gum disease. If there is any signs of bleeding on the gum tissue, that is another sign that there is periodontal disease. The dentist may ask the patient if there is bleeding while brushing or flossing. With proper brushing and flossing techniques and good dental health, there should be no bleeding. If there is bleeding, that is another sign of gum disease.
If the y Dentist in Waimanalo believes that the patient has periodontal disease, the next step is to use a measuring probe to determine the depth of the pockets between the gum tissue and the teeth. It will take a few minutes to measure the pocket depths of all four quadrants of the mouth. Both the front and the rear of each tooth has to be measured. Two people are needed to perform the measurements. One person to perform the actual measurement. The other person records each measurement in the patient’s chart. There may be a tiny bit of pain when the pocket depth is being measured since the measuring probe has a point a the end.
If the gum pocket depth is three millimeters are less, there is no sign of periodontal disease. If the pocket depths between three and four millimeters, there is early signs of gum disease. Depths of five millimeters or greater is indicative of advanced periodontal disease. Those that are diagnosed with gum disease will be given treatment options at the dentist. Ideally, the first treatment for gum disease will start within a few weeks at the most.
