Every single dental professional worth their salt will agree with this statement: What you do at home is far more important than what they do at the office when it comes to preventing periodontal disease and preventing expensive periodontal treatments.
You still need to have your teeth cleaned and visit the dentist or periodontist. We all agree on that.
However, it can never be stated enough that what you do at home is of vital importance to how well you are able to escape or avoid periodontal disease, expensive treatments and tooth loss.
Just so that you understand the enormity of the scope of this problem, there are couple of things to consider:
1. Periodontists and other dental professionals believe the incidence of periodontal (gum) disease in some form is up to 80% of the population right now. This could range from mild gingivitis, which is the beginning of periodontal disease, to the dreaded advanced stages of gum disease.
2. The Mayo Clinic has an article on their website that suggests up to 95% of people will have some form of gum disease by age 65.
Do not let number two above fool you into thinking that you can wait until age 65 to deal with it. That would be a dreadful mistake.
You see, gum disease may be present in young children too and that means that people of all ages have it right now. What is confusing to people is that they perceive gum disease as something that strikes in the mid-thirties or beyond. Unfortunately, that is not true. That is when the damage from YEARS of gum disease typically starts to become evident.
Periodontal disease is nothing to laugh at. Did you know there is an entire professional that is dedicated entirely to gum health and disease? They are called periodontists. Such an industry exists because HUGE amounts of people have gum disease. The funny thing about it is that so many people are unaware of this problem.
Again, as mentioned above, what you do at home is far and away the most crucial piece to your avoiding gum disease and expensive treatments in the future. A single gum graft could cost you five to eight hundred dollars and I believe that is being conservative.
What are the consequences of doing nothing? Periodontal disease is the number one cause of tooth loss. Ask any dental professional. They will 100% agree with that statement. Consider the cost of implants and dentures on top of that.
So, how do you find out what to do at home that can help you to improve your dental health and stop gum disease before it starts or progresses any further?
I suggest reading my book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease
It comes in two forms:
1. The e-Book
For a few dollars, you can begin to understand this problem and stop it before it becomes a major expense in pain, money and time to you or your loved ones.
I’d say that you and your family cannot afford to be without this information, now. You could potentially save yourselves thousands of dollars in dental treatment expenditures over a lifetime, not to mention the pain and inconvenience.
David Snape
Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease
PS: Dental professionals: as caring individuals you understand the value of people doing a good job with their home care. This is a book that you may wish to give to every patient or tell every patient about.
I suggest giving them a copy. Patients will always remember you for it. This kind of good will goes a long way with patients who will understand that you care about them enough to give them a book instead of a lecture while they are in the chair!