9 Gum disease MYTHS debunked, “You are not alone in believing that gum disease is untreatable! But, YES, it can be treated!”

Image from Scientific American

February 12, 2021

1.       Gum disease can not be cured – BTW, you are not alone in believing this. Even dentists believe this, too. Nevertheless, gum disease especially periodontitis can be cured. I usually tell my patients “Treatment will stop the progression. But what matters is what you do every day and that you take care of every single one of your teeth and gums.”

2.       Bleeding gums is normal – Bleeding gums is not normal. If your gums bleed, this is a sign of inflammation in your gums which can lead to cavities and bone loss.

3.       Bleeding when you brush is a good indicator of gum disease – Bleeding upon brushing is not a good indicator of whether you have gum disease or lack thereof. An examination using a periodontal probe is the most reliable way of diagnosing disease if done correctly.

4.       Everyone has gum disease – This is not true. One of the signs of health is less than 10% of surfaces with bleeding upon probing in the mouth (smokers may not show much bleeding but still have signs of disease). My personal opinion is perfect health: NO Bleeding, NO Plaque (something that many of my colleagues would disagree and claim to be unattainable)

5.       As we get older, we are supposed to lose bone around our teeth due to gum disease. Bone loss around our teeth occurs due to genetics, smoking, and bacteria. There are old people that may show signs of gum disease but show no bone loss.

6.       It is normal to lose teeth as we get older due to gum disease. Gum disease and cavities are the biggest reason for tooth loss. Not old age. The biggest reason why we lose our teeth is due to our lack of proper dental hygiene and nutrition (barring any trauma or wisdom teeth extractions or extractions for orthodontic movement)

7.       I feel like my gums are healthy so I don’t need to see the dentist. Just like diabetes and high blood pressure, you can live normally with gum disease and not know it. Nearly one out of two people in the US population have periodontitis. This number increases to about 80% when you include gingivitis patients.  But if gum disease is ignored, you may pay a high price in treatment later. I usually tell my young patients “you are not young forever.”

8.       I just had a cleaning, how can I still have gum disease? Plaque accumulates in less than 24 hours. This means that you are not necessarily plaque free or have “magically” healthy gums after a cleaning. Therefore, daily oral hygiene consisting of removing every plaque is so important. You can no longer go back to what you were doing before the cleaning was done.

9.       My teeth are sensitive. I use Sensodyne toothpaste but it does not seem to work. Sensodyne toothpaste or any sensitive toothpaste is great to reduce sensitivity from root exposure. However, Sensodyne toothpaste instructions will tell you to see your dentist if the sensitivity persist. It may be due to gum disease. If your teeth are still sensitive, please do not think that this is normal and that ever since you were a child you always had sensitive teeth. Ask your dentist if you have gum disease. Ask that they use a periodontal probe to verify the diagnosis if they choose not to use it.

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