Four Signs of Gum Disease

Sometimes it’s a little difficult to know if you need dental help. Some signs are more subtle and hard to spot, but if they’re noticed early, they can save unneeded stress, time, and money. Here are four things to look out for when caring for your own teeth. Speak to your periodontist if you have any concerns about your gum health or oral health. Our location in Hingham, MA is ready to lend a hand with a wide range of periodontal services including gum disease treatment and dental implant surgery with the latest non-invasive, laser procedures: LANAP® and LAPIP®.

1) Gum Pain

Pain is the most obvious sign of treatable gum disease, and its the most attention grabbing. If your mouth hurts, that’s something you can’t easily ignore. If you have inflamed or red gums, that is a likely sign of periodontitis (literally “inflamed gums”) and should be treated through surgery as soon as possible to prevent loss of the tooth.

Another area to pay attention to is your when you have pain. If you have headaches only in the morning, that is a likely sign that nighttime jaw activity is causing it. If you have pain only when you chew, then it is a more likely sign that you have surgical tooth decay than if the tooth hurts all the time. For either case, though, see a periodontist.

2) Sensitivity in the Gums

Sometimes it isn’t pain that is an identifier. Tooth decay almost always shows itself as sensitivity in its early stages: especially sensitivity to hot or cold. If you find yourself unable to eat that ice cream because your teeth and gums are too sensitive to eat them properly, speak to a dental hygienist.

3) Discoloration in the Gums

Healthy teeth don’t necessarily need to be perfectly white: it has become a popular procedure for hygienists to whiten teeth. That is a good thing, and it is a great thing to have a brilliant smile. But tooth health is not determined by whiteness, it determined by is uniformity. If your teeth have blotches of whiter or darker on them, or if your gums have any splotchy discoloration, it is a sign of dental disrepair.

In fact, any discoloration is a sign of periodontal disease, in any place in the mouth. Look at the roof of your mouth and under your tongue for spots of discolored flesh, and see your periodontist if there are any spots that give you concern.

4) Strange Taste

Here is a test for periodontal disease you can perform without opening your mouth at all: taste the inside of your mouth. If you have a bad taste in your mouth that won’t seem to leave when you brush your teeth, or persistent bad breath, that is a sure fire sign that bacteria is prevalent within your mouth. If traditional hygienic methods don’t help your breath or if you have a lingering bad taste in your mouth, then periodontal help is required.

For more information about signs of gum disease or for an appointment click here or call our office in Hingham, MA on 781-583-1134.