Even though you are given a diagnosis of periodontal disease, this is not a death sentence for your teeth. Although the cases of periodontal disease in the country are increasing, so are the number of people that are living their entire life with their natural teeth. Wait. What? Yes, people are living the last tens of years of their lives with a disease process that was previously terminal for teeth with little change to their life. How you may ask?

There are many ways to treat periodontal disease. The oldest and easiest way to treat periodontal disease was tooth extraction. In many ways, this still is; however, this leaves the patient with a less-than-adequate replacement for a tooth, such as dentures. Other than removing the tooth, we have many treatment options to retain your tooth or teeth for the rest of your life, if you get evaluated soon enough. Time is of the essence. If you think you need a periodontal examination, please call us at Simply Smile today to schedule an appointment.

The best treatment for periodontal disease, however, is no treatment at all. That is prevention. How does one prevent periodontal disease? Much like all of the other dental diseases, home care and prevention are much the same. These equate to one word. Cleanliness. Plaque is pretty much the cause of most dental diseases that can be prevented by patients with home care. Plaque can be removed easily at home and with the assistance of the Simply Smile dental team at regular intervals. A regular home routine of brushing at least twice a day at home with an American Dental Association(ADA)-approved toothpaste, and flossing and rinsing with ADA-approved floss and dental rinse at least once per day will get you started nicely. This, in conjunction with a regular home care routine developed with your Simply Smile team member according to your periodontal disease status, and you should be well on your way to keeping your teeth as long as possible. If you have gum concerns, come see us today and let’s have a chat!

Sometimes, what people think is tooth pain is really one of these other possible soft or hard tissue issues that are appearing as a toothache. Without the proper diagnosis and treatment by your dentist and their team, the problem will never resolve on its own and you will just be chasing ghosts and throwing away money in the process. Alternatively, there are much better options. With a dedicated team, such as the one at Simply Smile, you can have a dedicated and directed care plan from diagnosis through treatment and recall. This will save you time, pain, money, and frustration.

For some issues, you may be able to take care of them at home or be able to relieve them temporarily until you are able to visit us for an exam and emergency dental visit. You may be able to target some relief with these easy at-home temporary reliefs.

For immediate hard tissue problems, such as cavities, tooth isolation is the best immediate temporary fix. You may ask, “how can I isolate my tooth from the rest of my mouth?”, but it really is pretty simple. Placing a piece of gauze or a cotton ball over the affected tooth can prevent irritants, such as cold air, hot and cold liquids, and other stimulants from coming into contact with your tooth.

For soft tissue pains, such as gum pain, small cuts, or healing wounds from extraction, a warm salt water rinse is your best friend. Using a warm salt water rinse gently several times per day will keep the area clean and restore the appropriate pH balance to your mouth for the time being.

For any discomfort that cannot be relieved temporarily by a piece of gauze and salt water, an over the counter analgesic is indicated, as long as it doesn’t interfere with any current medications that you are taking. Anything beyond that, let us at Simply Smile take care of you gently and easily while we restore your smile to its former glory. C