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periodontal disease

Is There a Cure for Periodontal Disease?

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Question:

Hi David,

Thank you for your website! I find it to be very informative! I plan on purchasing the products you listed on your site to help me with gum disease issue.

At age 26, I was diagnosed with mild periodontal disease and I would like to know – is there a cure for this? My dentist and every website I researched this question on says NO. But I don’t know- could there be?

I was never raised to floss and brush 2x a day so prior to age 26, I would never floss and only brushed my teeth in the morning – so I guess it is my fault why I am in the awful predicament – Oh how I wish I knew better then!

I am now 28 and though I brush 2x a day, and floss the gum pockets in my mouth have now increased from mild to moderate! What am I doing wrong???

I feel like I have tried everything in my power to make my gums better to but to no avail and it is so depressing! I am genuinely scared to death of losing my teeth.

Two weeks ago, I had the dentist perform a deep cleaning to my teeth and gums and have bought and am now using a mouth irrigator (Water Pik) and Peridex mouthwash – but this morning, I woke up with puffy gums around my bottom 6 teeth.

So my question to you is what were the depth of your gum pockets before and after you started implementing your program? I guess I can use some hope right now.

Thank you for your time
—
Stephanie

 

Answer:

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks for writing in with your question. Your situation saddens me so much that I decided to stay in tonight to answer your question instead of going out to my favorite hang out to be with friends.

There are two action steps for you to consider right now:

1. Go to a periodontist immediately.

2. Consider reading:  How To Stop Gum Disease In 4 Easy Steps

In modern dentistry, they typically do not believe there is a cure for periodontal disease.  However, they generally believe that it may be controlled and that is what you are going to want to look into.

What I say on this page is said in general, for specific questions about your situation ask  your dentist or doctor.

I have not been in your dentist’s shoes and I have not seen your mouth and I have no idea what shape your are currently in. So I don’t want to comment on that too much. But I know this – it sounds like you could use some improvement.

Generally, you are going to want to pay attention to your periodontal pocket depths.  You want to get them to 3mm and below.   They should take those measurements for you at every visit.   If you do not know where you are now, find out.  Based on what you wrote, it sounds like you may already know.

What you do at home is the crucial point here.  The dentist can only see you a few times per year but the fight against gum disease is truly a daily one.  Whatever you are doing at home, you can measure your results by those pocket depths.  If the pockets are getting smaller at each visit, then you know you are headed in the right direction.  If they are getting worse, then you need to think about adjusting what you are doing at home.

The link above: How To Stop Gum Disease In 4 Easy Steps is worth taking a look at.  It is a short read, about 30 pages but it may provide you with insight that you do not currently have.   If you want to read more in depth, check out the book:  What You Should Know About Gum Disease.  You can find it at ToothyGrinsStore.com and with other online book sellers. It is about 244 pages.

It is interesting that you didn’t floss before the age of 26.  I find that unusual, but I guess it is possible. That is  likely a contributing factor to your problems today. You didn’t mention it, but do you have a lot of fillings and cavities too?

May I suggest that you make an appointment with your periodontist immediately?  I would try to find a good periodontist who’s primary interest is in saving teeth and one who is less interested in pulling them and installing implants.  This may take a bit of looking on your part but the results could be worth it to you.  I am sure you will agree that it is better to save your natural teeth if it is possible.

Are you on  Peridex because of your recent ‘deep cleaning’?  Peridex is a brand name for chlorhexidine gluconate. I am sure your doctor told you, but it is for short term use only.  Generally speaking, they do not want you to use it for more than two weeks because it causes strong staining of the teeth.

This is a side note:  I have a relative who believes her dental health went down hill after her ‘deep cleaning’ treatment.  Many times, those who have one ‘deep cleaning’ treatment will need another again down the road.  Again, the real objective measure is those periodontal pocket depths.  Regardless of treatment or home care methods, those pocket depths are your objective gauge to know if you are making progress or not.

I avoided my prescribed SRP. I used the Hydro Floss oral irrigator and did some other things at home and 5 months later my dentist agreed that I no longer needed that treatment. This is after she previously told me, ‘nothing else would help’.

I’m going to tell you that I believe your periodontal health can improve, but you may need to work a bit to make it happen.  I have informed you of how to measure your results.  I hope you caught that.

There are two aspects to keeping your gums healthy. Both are needed and one will not save you without the other. You need both professional care and better home care.

1. Professional care – Right now, you need the help of a good periodontist. Trust me on this one. They know more about taking care of your gum tissue than general dentists do. They have more professional training specifically on gum tissue health and disease. He will work with you in conjunction with a good hygienist who will work from his office.

2. Home care – This is where you have admittedly failed in the past ( failure to brush and floss). However, you should know that I personally believe that brushing and flossing are not always enough for the vast majority of people anyway. You need additional tools and understandings to help you with your home care.  I say this because dental professionals will readily tell you that up to 75% of people have some gum disease right now.

There are so many things I want to tell you right now,  Stephanie, that it could fill a whole book. And it has. I’m going to recommend that you read my book, What You Should Know about Gum Disease, to help you understand your situation better and to get a better idea of the home care tools and techniques that are available to you. These are things that your dentist or periodontist might not have time to educated you about. Because of time constraints, they may not tell you everything I have written about in the home care section of my book – chapter 3.

Also, it is a pretty good bet that you haven’t been fully educated about what gum disease is and what causes it – and therefore, what you can do about it. That is probably not your fault. Dentists are pretty busy and I’ve not been to one yet that has fully explained things to me. I needed to go out and do a lot of research to reach the understandings that I have today.

I want to make perfectly clear that I am all for professional dental care and I acknowledge that it is needed. When it comes to your gum health, please see a periodontist.

Now, I’m not here to comment negatively on any products, but you mentioned that you bought a particular product.  You know what kind of oral irrigator I recommend already ( the Hydro Floss). It is the only one I recommend and the reason why is: It is the one that worked for me.

In addition, there are professional studies that show it’s effectiveness (2 that I know of) One is described here. Because of my personal experience and these two studies, I really believe in the ability of the Hydro Floss to help. I can’t say that others don’t work because I haven’t tried them, but I do know what helped me and what the scientific literature says about the Hydro Floss and how it does better than irrigators that don’t use its patented technology. The others may work to reduce plaque too, but I’m skeptical that they are as good as a Hydro Floss at reducing plaque and tartar buildup between office visits.

You’ll likely want to read the information in my book and consider asking your periodontist about the other things I mention in chapter 3 that can help you.

I suggest reading the first 7 chapters of the book. You can skip the appendix. And I recommend that you read them over and over again until the information completely sets in. This way, you will at least be better informed about what you are facing.

Your situation is needing real attention – that is why I stayed home to answer your question tonight.  There are two action steps for you to follow right now. 1. Go to a periodontist immediately.

2. Consider reading:  How To Stop Gum Disease In 4 Easy Steps

Here is another pointer for you. Do not brush hard. The dental plaque is what you are trying to disrupt and that is easy to do. It just has to be done consistently. Brushing hard can cause your gum tissue to recede further – especially if it is in a diseased state.

I wish you the best of luck and you should have further questions as you move further – I expect that you will if you are truly working to solve this problem. Feel free to come to this site and submit any future questions you might have.

BTW – to answer you last question. My pockets were mostly 4s with a few 5s. There were no sixes or beyond. Now, my gums are really healthy, but I am stuck with the recession. There isn’t much that dentistry currently believes in that can make the recession go away except for gum grafts and bone implants in some cases – I’m hoping that will change in the future. You might see a SLIGHT reduction in the recession if you get your gum tissue healthy. However, you can stop the recession from getting worse – but you must do the serious work to make it happen.

On the other hand, I do believe in that with some additional information and effort, you can make real improvements as measured by your periodontal pocket depths.

So, please do not think that your situation is hopeless.

Again, everything said here was said in general.  For specific answers about your own situation, please visit your doctor or dentist for those answers.

Good luck Stephanie, I believe you can do it. Please come back here to keep us posted on your progress.

How To Stop Gum Disease in 4 Easy Steps

 

* Please be advised that this post is for information purposes only and does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment on any health condition. Only your licensed doctor or dentist can give advice, diagnosis and render treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated any statements about any products found on this site.

How are Diabetes and Gum Disease Connected?

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gumdisease.pngThis is a very interesting question. I should point out that the word about this connection isn’t completely ‘official’ yet – meaning that the government and some professionals aren’t completely on board with this one.  However, I think that most dental professionals, scientists and researchers agree that there is a connection.

In light of that disclaimer, I will tell you about this supposed connection in very easy to understand terms. Here is what is believed to be happening in a nut shell:

Gum disease is an infection of the gum tissue in your mouth. It is caused by anaerobic bacteria. That is a kind of bacteria that like an oxygen deprived environment to grow in. You may wonder why your mouth doesn’t have enough oxygen in it? Well it does. But the problem is dental plaque. Plaque is constantly accumulating on your teeth and between your teeth and your gums. You could picture it as slime in a fish tank. It will continue to accumulate and that is why you need to clean the fish tank – as well as your teeth.

Underneath the dental plaque is where the bacteria find the environment that is deprived of oxygen – therefore they can grow and reproduce there rapidly. This is also why we have to clean our teeth of the plaque on a regular basis.

Your gums are an easy pathway to your blood. The tissue is thin and loaded with small blood vessels. It is very easy for the bacteria to enter your bloodstream this way.

This is where the problem comes in. Your body knows. And your body must respond to this constant influx of bacteria.

One of the things the body does is produce a variety of chemicals as part of the ‘inflammatory’ response. Nature designed this response to help ward of infection and heal tissue as quickly as possible.

The problem comes in because gum disease is a ‘chronic’ condition. The body was not designed to maintain the inflammatory response forever – only for relatively short periods of time.

These chemicals that the body produces due to the inflammatory response affect ‘receptors’ on your body’s cells. It is as if the body is saying, “look, we have an emergency here, I need you to do some things and put your normal routine aside for a while”. The problem is the “all clear” is never sent. And this situation persists for the long term.

What happens in this response process is that the insulin receptors on the cell diminish in number. Remember that the body thinks it has to take care of a problem – and one of the things that happens is that the insulin receptors diminish. This is due to one or more  of the chemicals that the body has put into the blood stream as part of the inflammatory response.

Therefore, the cells begin to have a hard time being responsive to insulin. This means that your cells are having a hard time getting glucose inside where they will convert it to energy. This is because insulin is the chemical that the body uses to allow sugar to move across the cell’s outer membrane. 

You become insulin resistant. We, as human beings, respond to this need by giving the patient more insulin. Then you become insulin dependent because your body is always counting on this external source of insulin to keep functioning properly.

Voila, now you can see the supposed connection between diabetes and gum disease. And I should point out that this gum disease is suspected of contributing to a number of other diseases as well!

About the author: David Snape invites you to learn more about his book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease available at Amazon and GingivitisKiller.com  It explains, in easy to understand terms, what you can do to fight and defeat gum disease.

Get connected with ToBeInformed and David – Sign up for Updates

Debunking Two Myths About Gum Disease

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This book can help you save your teeth
This book can help you save your teeth
There are two major misconceptions when it comes to gum disease. One is that people believe it is something you only get when you are older. The second is an incorrect notion on how many people actually have gum disease.

Let’s look at the first notion. Gum disease is something that occurs at all ages. Children as young as six years old have been found to have it. Periodontal disease (another name for gum disease) is often thought to occur as a consequence of aging by most people.

Actually, what is happening is that the damage has been accumulating over time. You don’t realize that you have it when you are young. You just see the results show up later in life (mid 30’s and beyond) and you think you just got gum disease as a result of getting older. There is a need to take care of your gum health at all ages.

The second notion is about how many people actually have gum disease. Periodontists and dentists generally will agree that up to 80% of the population has some form of gum disease right now. That is a scary thought, right?

What does that really mean? Eighty percent means eight out of ten. Line yourself and nine of your friends up and the statistics say that up to eight of you will have some form of gum disease right now. What are the odds that you are one of the 8 and not one of the other two that are completely free of gum disease?

Now let’s say that periodontists are wrong with this statistic (just for the sake of argument). Let’s say that the real number is 40% or 4 out of ten. There is still a pretty good chance that you or someone you love or are friends with has it, right?

About the author:
David Snape invites you to learn more about his book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

What You Should Know about Gum Disease is an Important Book

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How to Fight Gum Disease and Win!

This book could easily have been called, “How to Fight Gum Disease and Win”. Written in easy to understand layman terms, it is exactly the information you need whether you think you have gum disease or not.

It is also much more than a book on how to fight gum disease and win….

On the surface it is important because it helps people to understand how widespread the problem of gum disease is. If you think you are free of gum disease – there is a good chance that you are wrong.

The odds are not in your favor. I don’t say that to be negative or to put negative thoughts out there – I say it to be factual. Many people have gum disease RIGHT NOW and if you were to tell them they would not believe you.

What do the statistics say? Most periodontists will tell you that up to 80% of the population has it now. But let’s pretend that they are wrong and that they are wrong by a large margin. Let’s say they are only half right.

That would leave 40% of the population afflicted with gum disease. So, what are the chances that YOU have it right now? 4 out of 10? 8 out of 10? Are you willing to risk that?

Under the surface topic of the book, I really hit on things about life that are important. Your thoughts, your attitude and what is in your heart affects your daily life every single day – not to mention those whom you come in contact with. My book hits on these things – if not directly and obviously then sometimes subtly and not-so-obviously.

My book also brings to light a problem that we have as a species – the human species. We are plagued by something – we are plagued by the fact that there are good and bad people in this world. Sometimes the lines are blurred. You may think you are good, but maybe what you do isn’t so good. Perhaps you view yourself as a bad person but yet you do some good things that are really helpful.

So it is with every human being, including doctors, lawyers and -gasp- dentists. My book will help you to figure out when you are seeing a dentist who makes choices that are more about herself than about you. I know, it happened to me that a dentist was not acting in my best interest – more than once.

With my book, What You Should Know about Gum Disease, you will find that the basic laymen and easy to understand language will help you ‘get a clue’ about your dental health. It will help you to see and understand things in a way that makes total sense – and in a way that will help you evaluate the behaviors of the people working on your mouth.

My book is important in so many aspects, that every single person needs to read it.

I must concede that there is a much more important book than mine, however. The name of THAT book is Zhuan Falun.

I think you should read Zhuan Falun and I also think you should read my book on gum disease. If you can only choose one, then choose Zhuan Falun – its knowledge is far more reaching and encompassing in it’s depth and scope than mine.

But if you can read them both, I think that would be a good idea. Zhuan Falun is available at Amazon.

What You Should Know about Gum Disease is also available there. But you might prefer the e-book, depending on your inclination to read on the computer or to have a real book in your hand.

Either way, you cannot go wrong by reading both of the books I’ve mentioned here.

David Snape

Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease
ISBN:978-0981485508
e-Book available at : https://Gingivitiskiller.com

Could it Be that ProBiotics are Good for the Mouth Too?

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I think some studies need to be done. But it appears from my personal observation that probiotics like unpasteurized milk and cheese or Kefir have some sort of positive affect on oral health.

Freedom from gum disease and cavities is very important both to our personal health and to the smell of our breath – not to mention our wallets.

What I noticed is that when I was drinking unpasteurized milk, things were looking even better than usual for my gum tissue. Later in the season when unpasteurized milk was no longer available and after a period of time, I noticed a slight decline in the health of my gum tissue.

Then, finally, I felt sensitivity from one of my teeth. I knew that enough was enough and that I had to try unpasteurized foods again. No milk to be found. I went to the store and bought some unpasteurized cheese and Kefir.

I didn’t even bother to clean my teeth and took a nap. When I woke the sensitivity was so greatly reduced that it was virtually gone.

David Snape
Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease
ISBN: 978-0-9814855-0-8

Saved My Life…. (teeth)?

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Dave: you really helped to save my life in a very major way. i have no idea what i would do without you. there is no information like yours to be had anywhere. you are – a genius of a young man.

i bet your teeth are superb.

my teeth are very good – but no one ever instructed me in any way on gum care.

when i fell into depression – i let the flossing go by the wayside. this has had bad consequences on my lower teeth.

nontheless they are getting better with some of your tricks. i just tried the Listerine cut way down. i cannot wait to try the Hydro Floss.

the scope of your knowledge is so impressive. i can’t thank you enough.

My very best,
-name withheld

 

Thank you very much. It is notes like this one that help me to keep going!

David Snape
Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

I Visited My Periodontist Yesterday

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It was a very good visit. No pockets over 3 mm which is considered ‘healthy’. My hygienist actually said that it was great to work on a healthy mouth.

But what you don’t know is that I didn’t get there overnight. It was a struggle for the last couple of years. Even a few months ago I still had a couple of 4s left.

So few people understand gum disease. It is amazing because so many people have it and they don’t know it.

As I was talking to the hygienist she told me a story about a dentist she had worked for. He bought a practice and discovered that virtually all of the patients had severe periodontal problems.

The previous doctor apparently didn’t do anything to educate the patients about their periodontal health. The new dentist spent extra time and money bringing in good hygienists to work on getting his ‘new’ patients’ periodontal health up to speed.

As she worked on one of these patients, she said, “Well you have a lot of 9 mm pockets”. The patients respons: “What is a pocket”.

This gentleman was older. He had gone all of his life and never understood the concept of what pocket was. He probably looked in his mouth and thought, ‘nothing was wrong’, just like so many people do today.

This is the tragedy of our modern world. These patients might even think it is normal when their teeth become lose. Maybe they still think it is normal when they fall out. The might even blame it on age. Nothing could be further from the truth. Barring trauma, the majority of people can keep their teeth for a lifetime, provided they keep their GUMS healthy.

If you don’t know what a pocket is, you’d better find out. It is your dental health and your bodies health that we are talking about here. Many experts believe that the loss of one’s teeth means the loss of life expectancy. Some say 3 to 7 years. Some say longer.

That is a generalized statistic. Would you rather have healthy gums or unhealthy gums which may contribute to other health problems??? Only you can decide.

I hope you choose to have better dental health.

David Snape

Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease

ISBN: 978-0-9814855-0-8

Gum Disease Book Video

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Ok folks, here is my first, very amateurish video, about gum disease and my book.
Take a look, don’t laugh too hard and if you have any helpful suggestions, please do leave a comment.

I’m using primitive software and primitive video equipment. I’m doing all of this myself. I want to get the word out that there is more to this gum disease and cavity thing than meets the eye.

I believe there is far more that we can do to take care of our gums and teeth than is common, mainstream knowledge. I’ve found some of those things and I’m sharing them in the book.

Sorry, this video has been removed, it was a little too amateurish – if you know what I mean.

Dave Snape
Author: What You Should Know about Gum Disease
(free introduction and chapter for those who want to get a feel for what is in the book.)

Dental Tape is Better than Dental Floss

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Flossing is a necessity of life. It is something that can help to protect your gum health. Flossing and brushing alone aren’t likely to be enough for most people.

But regardless of which group you fall in, flossing is an essential part of daily life. If you were to get gum disease, you could lose your teeth or watch your gums recede or both. You don’t want this to happen.

It is best to develop good oral care habits as soon as possible. Yet, you might be someone who already has excellent oral hygiene habits.

Regardless, you can benefit from using dental tape instead of dental floss. Unless you are like me and you have some crowded teeth, you could probably use dental tape only. I have some crowded and tight areas, so I use both tape and regular floss. Obviously, I use the thin stuff in the tight areas.

What I discovered to be true for me, from the use of dental tape, is that it did a much better job of cleaning my teeth. In fact, there were a couple of times where I could use that tape to actually remove a stain from my teeth!

This is when I realized that dental tape was doing a better job. If you think about it, this is very logical. The dental tape is wider and thicker. It covers more surface area. It is simple physics.

I like to take the dental tape and watch what I’m doing in a mirror. I observe as I try to cover every exposed area of my teeth or at least as much as I can reach. I like to use multiple back-and-forth or up-and-down motions on my teeth.

If your gums bleed, it is almost a certain sign that you have gum disease. Your gums should neither bleed or hurt from flossing. Of course, if you push to deep they will. But, really, you shouldn’t feel pain or have any bleeding from normal flossing. If you do see some bleeding, get with your dentist to confirm the existence of gum disease.

Don’t be surprised if you have it. Many people do have some form of gum disease. Statistics vary quite a bit, but somewhere between forty and eighty percent of the population has some form of gum disease right now, depending upon whom you listen do.

You can stop gum disease from progressing further. It is hard to get lost gum tissue back. So it is best to stop it now if you show any signs of gum disease. More tools will probably be necessary than just brushing, flossing and using mouthwash.

This article is for information purposes only, merely reflects the author’s opinion, and is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat gum disease. You should only learn proper flossing techniques from your dentist or hygienist and not from the Internet. If you have or think you might have gum disease or any other oral health problem, contact your dentist for diagnosis, advice and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements in this article. You may reprint this article so long as the author bio accompany it and that any hyperlinks remain active. You may not ‘no-follow’ these links.

David Snape hopes that everyone can have better dental health. He is the author of: What You Should Know about Gum Disease. ISBN: 978-0-9814855-0-8. This book can help you learn what he did to stop the progression of gum disease, avoid a costly scaling and root planing treatment, and make his gums healthy again. You might also investigate the Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator You can also ask questions of David at his blog: https://tobeinformed.com Dave also practices Falun Dafa meditation: https://falundafa.org and believes that everyone should try it.