As a periodontist, a significant part of Dr. Ann Kania’s life involves helping patients prevent or fight off periodontal disease. The gum infection affects over 80% of the adult population in the United States, and patients often don’t seek treatment until the disease has become a serious issue. Its most advanced form, called periodontitis, is the leading cause of permanent tooth loss, and treating the disease often means undergoing surgery to clean infectious bacteria from underneath the gums. At Dr. Kania’s office, however, advanced periodontal treatment usually consists of lasers and the LANAP protocol, rather than conventional surgery with scalpels and sutures. (more…)
How to Regenerate Tooth, Bone, and Gum Structures
The goal of periodontics is to help you maintain your teeth and their supportive structures in a healthy, functional state for life. Sometimes, this may require treatment to eradicate bacteria and prevent or control the development of periodontal disease—the leading cause of adult tooth loss in the United States. Also known as gum disease, the bacterial infection destroys the gum tissue that supports your teeth, and can degrade the jawbone underneath it when allowed to progress. Traditionally, treating periodontal disease involved thoroughly cleaning bacteria from underneath the gum line and your teeth’s roots. If tissue damage occurred, then treatment could help repair it. Today, however, Dr. Kania employs a number of biologic materials that help regenerate lost tooth, bone, and periodontal structures, improving the success of periodontal therapy for longer-lasting results. (more…)
Does Bad Breath Mean You Have Gum Disease?
Periodontal disease goes through many stages, is known by many names, and produces many symptoms to warn you of its presence. Bleeding gums are a common sign, but since they don’t hurt, they can be fairly easy to overlook for some patients. Chronic bad breath, however, is a bit more difficult to ignore, since other people can often notice it as much as you can. When your breath is less-than-stellar due to the presence of gum disease, no mint or stick of chewing gum can offer you a solution. On the contrary, you might require the expertise of a specialist to treat your gum disease before seeing any improvement in your bad breath. (more…)
How Periodontal Germs Trick Your Immune System
Did you know that periodontal disease, or gum disease, is self-inflicted? It usually develops when bacteria overwhelm your teeth and gums. What may surprise you, however, is that the infection itself isn’t the most destructive aspect of periodontal disease. On the contrary, it’s your immune system’s exaggerated inflammatory response to mouth germs that does much of the damage.
Blame the Oral-Systemic Connection
The oral-systemic connection describes the complex relationship between your oral health and your physical well-being. (more…)
Experts Say: It’s Never Too Late to Quit Smoking
According to the American Lung Association, cigarette smoke is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, claiming over 393,000 lives each year. The numerous health effects of smoking are well-documented, but research continues to uncover evidence of cigarette smoke’s influence, and how not smoking can improve your quality of life. The good news is that smoking cessation is beneficial no matter how long you’ve been smoking, although sooner is much better as far as your health is concerned. (more…)
Children’s Gum Disease
According to the latest research, gum disease affects over half of the adult population in the United States. It can also affect your children if they don’t follow good hygiene practices, and if not treated, the infection can destroy the tissues and bone that support their teeth. Gum disease may not be as prominent in children as it is in adults, but it’s equally dangerous for all patients who hesitate to treat it. As February marks National Children’s Dental Health Month, sponsored by the American Dental Association (ADA), your San Diego periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, explains that cavities aren’t the only reason for you to be concerned about your child’s smile. (more…)
Is Periodontal Disease a Matter of the Heart?
American Heart Month, sponsored by the American Heart Association every February, is designed to raise awareness about the prevalence of heart disease and how to lower your risk for poor heart health. Keeping your mouth clean and healthy isn’t a guaranteed way to prevent heart disease, but experts agree that it certainly reduces your risk for inflammation linked to heart problems and other systemic issues. Periodontal disease, or gum disease, is a chronic inflammatory disease that destroys your gums and underlying jawbone as it progresses. One of the more significant symptoms of diseased gums is bleeding. When your oral tissues are infected, chewing and brushing your teeth can release oral bacteria into the bloodstream. According to recent research, the mechanisms behind periodontal disease, namely the bacteria that incite excessive swelling, are a significant contributor to some cases of coronary heart disease. (more…)
How Do You Repair Damaged Gums?
The reason why prevention and early treatment are vital to your continued good oral health is because gum disease is progressive, meaning that without intervention it only grows worse as time continues. If prevention fails, then gum disease will slowly destroy the foundations of your smile (i.e., gums and jawbone) until your mouth loses its ability to retain teeth. Mild to moderate gum disease can be addressed with an appropriate periodontal treatment, such as scaling and root planing. When disease has significantly riddled your gums, Dr. Kania may have to perform procedures to restore your periodontal health. (more…)
How Serious is Your Gum Disease?
If you’ve developed gum disease, the severity of your condition depends on how long the disease has been neglected. The earlier it’s detected and treated, the less damage gum disease will be allowed to wreak on your soft gingival tissues, making timing one of the most significant factors in effective periodontal treatment. Gauging how serious your gum disease is requires a professional examination by your Encinitas periodontist, but preventing it from becoming a destructive force requires your attention and care, as well. (more…)
The Value of a Periodontal Cleaning
Prevention is an important aspect of your periodontal (gum) care. Your Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Ann Kania, can repair and rebuild severely damaged periodontal tissue (gums) using innovative methods and technology, including lasers. However, Dr. Kania explains that the true purpose of expert periodontal care should be to prevent disease and the need for extensive treatment. A periodontal cleaning is a preventive measure designed to reduce inflammation the infection that leads to periodontal disease, before the condition can progress into something worse. As the first stage of periodontal disease, gingivitis marks the last phase at which the disease is still preventable if treated in time. (more…)