Support For Your Teeth
Gums are a part of the larger group of tissues known as the periodontium, meaning “around the tooth.” One of the primary functions of periodontal (gum) tissue is to surround and support your teeth as well as ensure they remain firmly lodged into the underlying alveolar bone in your jaw.
Absent sufficient gum tissue surrounding your tooth roots, teeth are liable to get wobbly, work their way loose, and eventually fall out due to the ordinary pressures of speaking, chewing, and everyday life.
A receding gum line due to the onset of gingivitis is nothing to ignore or shrug off. Gums are an integral part of your teeth’s overall “support system” that you really can’t do without.
Protection Against Cavities
But there is more to the work of gums than just helping to hold your teeth in their proper place. The presence of periodontal tissue around the lower half of your teeth shields them from excessive exposure to bacteria.
When tooth roots are exposed, they quickly develop cavities. And cavities in that location can destroy a tooth to the point it has to be extracted or at least get a root canal.
Take steps to protect your gum health now, and you could prevent all of that. Otherwise, modern dental implants are the best tooth restoration method available today if you’ve already suffered from tooth loss.
Avoiding Hyper-sensitive Teeth
Another reason that gum tissue is critical is that you don’t want to experience tooth pain every time you eat or drink something hot or cold.
When gums get thin, recede, or are totally absent in certain areas of your mouth where they ought to be – you will likely begin to notice increased tooth sensitivity. This is just one more good reason to carefully guard your gum health!
Healthy Gums Improve Your Smile
While it may seem almost too obvious to mention, aesthetics are clearly yet another important function of good, healthy gums.
Infected gums, bleeding gums, or gum tissue that has become inflamed and reddened are certainly unsightly. And when gum tissue is pulling away from your tooth roots, it can hurt your natural smile even more.
Healthy Gums Mean Healthy Breath
One of the signs that a person may have gingivitis is when his or her breath is chronically foul. Bad breath that just won’t go away, called “halitosis” in dental talk, can be a huge problem.
Why not get to the root cause of your bad breath through periodontal treatment and improved oral hygiene instead of just always covering it up?
Because Gum Disease Is Dangerous And Painful!
Last, but certainly not least, healthy gums prevent all the negative experiences and risks of having unhealthy gums. From the earliest stage (gingivitis) to the worst stage (advanced periodontitis), gum disease literally ravages your mouth.
Gum disease damages gum tissue so that it can no longer perform all of the crucial tasks it was designed for. But it can be treated successfully. To find out how, contact Ormond Beach Periodontics today.