What is a periodontal (gum) chart?

Hi everyone!

When you see me as a new patient for an initial examination or when you visit our hygienists to get your teeth cleaned you will have the health of your gums evaluated by using a simple and relatively painless test called a periodontal chart or periochart.Most likely you will hear either me or your hygienist calling out a series of 6 numbers per tooth.What we are doing is measuring, in millimeters (mm), the depth of the cuff of gum tissue around each tooth.This depth is the difference in height between the level of your gumline and the point at which the gum actually attaches to your tooth.2-3 mm is considered healthy and physiologic and anything over 5 mm usually indicates that the bone that supports your tooth has begun to be destroyed by disease.To give you something to compare with, a pencil eraser is typically about 5 mm in diameter. The diagram at the bottom of the blog explains it better, but here is a little more detail on what measuring the “pockets” mean: [Read more…]

Gum Disease Can Be Fatal

By Dr Langberg

Hi everyone!

Gum disease is a little like high blood pressure: most of the time it is “out of sight, out of mind”. The early warning signs are easy to ignore. Often patients delay seeing us until they experience the following symptoms:

· Bleeding gums

· Pain

· Gum recession

· Loosening of teeth

· Bad breath

I hear patients say all the time, “My gums have always bled.” Let me be clear on this: Healthy gums do not bleed! (If your nail beds bled after washing your hands you would have no doubt that something was wrong. Same with your gums.) Just like with high blood pressure, the best time to treat this is not after your heart attack. If your gums bleed this indicates an infection that, left untreated, can lead to permanent tooth loss. But even more importantly, there is a growing body of evidence pointing to a link between gum (periodontal) disease and cardiovascular disease such as heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis (vascular disease), etc.

Periodontal (gum) disease is caused mostly by poor oral hygiene. A new study from Scotland (reported in the British Medical Journal and Nature Reviews in Cardiology) shows that tooth brushing less than once daily can incur a 70% increased risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events compared with brushing twice a day. The connection could be from the increased bacterial load from the chronic infection causing frequent bacteremias (bacteria in the bloodstream) simply by chewing, for instance. Or it may be from the well documented relationship between chronic inflammation in our bodies and cardiovascular disease. We tend to ignore inflammation in our mouths more than, say, on our hands or feet.

At our office, we emphasize health, wellness and prevention. We will examine, treat and carefully monitor the health of your gums. You will always be given the finest in oral care to prevent or treat periodontal disease. Contact me or my staff at 248-356-8790 for a gum examination. The call may not just save your teeth, it just may add years to your life!

Until next time,

Mark W Langberg, DDS, MAGD

“Talking With Caldwell” about Gum Disease

By Dr Langberg

Hi everyone!

Today I was interviewed by Reverend Roland Colwell of the Burnette Inspirational Ministry on Warren in Detroit for his public access cable show, "Talking With Caldwell". The subject of the interview was dental and oral health as it relates to dental care and dentistry. (I also had the opportunity to attend their Sunday morning service and meet some wonderful people!) During the interview, Reverend Colwell asked me about the signs of gum disease and it was apparent that the public has been poorly informed by the dental profession about this important topic. I have chosen to make this the subject of this blog.

Bleeding gums are the most obvious sign of gum disease (gingivitis or periodontitis). By the time you notice that your gums are bleeding , the disease may already have been present for some time. It is not unusual for us to hear, “My gums have always bled like this,” but treatment is not sought because it is considered "normal". However if our eyes started to bleed when we washed our faces or our nail beds bled when we washed our hands we would most likely be alarmed and rush to seek medical treatment! Bleeding gums are neither normal or healthy. Luckily, in early stages (gingivitis) the disease is fairly easy to treat and is reversible. When the disease has progressed past the bleeding gum stage, you may notice some pain, gum recession, loosening of teeth, and bad breath. If you have ignored your bleeding gums (possibly the earliest sign of gum disease) because you think it is normal to have a little “pink” on your toothbrush, you will likely have additional symptoms and conditions associated with disease progression. At this point the bone and gum support for the teeth may be permanently damaged and left untreated you can loose your teeth. Tooth loss is not a sign of aging but is a preventible disease (pathology) . In addition to tooth loss, you cannot be healthy physically with an infected mouth. Gum disease is associated with diabetes, heart attack and strokes. (For more information see my blog of September 7th, 2008.)

Don’t wait for the warning signs of gum disease to occur before you schedule your dental examination or hygiene appointment. We are here to help you and welcome your comments and questions.

That’s all for today, and much thanks to Reverend Caldwell, Quentella Caldwell, and all the other nice folks I met today!

Until next time,

Mark W Langberg, DDS, MAGD

Gum Disease and your General Health

By Dr Langberg

Hi everyone!

Today’s blog is about the recently publicized link between gum disease (periodontitis) and such illnesses as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and pneumonia. The agent of this connection is a spillover of bacteria and inflammatory agents from the mouth into the bloodstream and then on to the rest of the body.

Diabetes diminishes the function of our immune system and also affects circulation so it can restrict blood flow to the gums as well. This provides ideal conditions for periodontitis to occur. In addition, the bacteria and inflammatory from the periodontitis are released into the bloodstream to travel elsewhere in the body where the diabetes compromised immune system is also ill equipped to handle them. Research has shown that treating gum disease can improve blood sugar control in diabetics, in fact some insurances like Blue Cross or Delta Dental are paying additional periodontal treatment benefits for diabetics.

Gum disease also increases your risk of heart and coronary artery disease. Folks with high levels of some oral bacteria have thicker carotid arteries, a predictor of heart attack and stroke, and it has been shown that people who have angina and heart attacks have higher levels of certain oral bacteria. These oral bacteria provoke inflammation which increases levels of white blood cells and C-reactive protein, which has been linked to heart disease. A New England Journal of Medicine study found that treatment of periodontal disease was linked to improved circulation.

Poor oral hygiene and gum disease has been shown to contribute to fatal pneumonias in hospitals and nursing homes. In these settings, poor oral hygiene fosters the buildup of bacteria so a patient on a respirator, for instance, is susceptible to breathing those bacteria, causing infection.

There is good evidence to support the assertion that healthy gums will literally add years to your life, as well as enhance the quality of the years you have. It is NEVER too late to start taking care of your mouth and you should know that bleeding gums are NEVER a good thing and are NOT normal! We are here to help you with the latest treatments for gum disease which both predictable and comfortable. Remember, HEALTHY GUMS DO NOT BLEED!

Well, that’s enough for today. Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Mark W Langberg, DDS, MAGD