Risk factors for Periodontal Disease:
- Family history
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Certain medications
- Pregnancy
- Grinding/clenching teeth
- Stress
In general, your numbers should be from 1 to 3 without bleeding. Numbers that are 4 and above need more professional care and attention for you to be able to achieve or maintain oral health.
There have been links shown between periodontal disease and heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Additional links have also been found between periodontal disease and pregnancy complications.
How can you prevent Periodontal Disease?
When you visit your dental professionals, they can assess your numbers and perform a professional cleaning (scaling and rootplaning) to eliminate harmful bacteria and foster a healthy oral environment.
In addition to maintaining your regular dental hygiene appointments, at home you can remove plaque through brushing, flossing and using antiseptic rinses.
It is very important to recognize the oral-systemic link and look at oral health as part of total body wellness. By knowing your numbers we can tailor an oral care plan that meets your individual needs.
