The Importance of Periodontal Health

How your periodontist in Fresno, CA, can help protect your periodontal health

Did you know that the health of your mouth can affect your general health? It’s true! In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, when your mouth isn’t healthy, it can increase your risk of having a stroke or acquiring osteoporosis, heart disease, or Alzheimer’s disease. Your periodontist can help you maintain your oral and periodontal health, so you can stay healthy.

Dr. Alexander Pritsky of Fresno Dental Implants and Periodontics in Fresno, CA, offers a wide range of periodontal and dental implant services to help protect your periodontal health.

When you protect your periodontal health by regular brushing, flossing, and visiting your periodontist, you are taking care of:

• Your gums, to keep them firm and pink, not red, bleeding, or irritated
• Your periodontal ligaments and fibers, to keep them strong, so they can hold in your teeth
• Your supporting bone, to keep it healthy and disease-free.

Together, your gums, ligaments, fibers, and supporting bone are the periodontium. Your periodontist is an expert at keeping these structures healthy, so you can enjoy a healthy smile for life.

Periodontal disease is caused by plaque, and plaque produces toxins that eat away at your gums, ligaments, fibers, and bone. Inflammation and infection cause loss of gum tissue, and you start to lose attachment and support from the ligaments and fibers surrounding your teeth.

The bone that supports your teeth is affected too, causing bone loss around your teeth. This bone loss results in what is called a periodontal pocket. These pockets collect plaque and bacteria, and if they get too deep, not even flossing can clean them.

Regular visits to your periodontist for supportive periodontal therapy and other treatments can get you and your smile back on the road to health. You need to also practice a program of excellent oral hygiene, including brushing after meals and before bed and flossing every day.

Take control of your periodontal health! To find out more about why your periodontal health is important and how your periodontist can help protect your smile, call Dr. Alexander Pritsky of Fresno Dental Implants and Periodontics in Fresno, CA, at (559) 298-3900. Call now!