by Amit Ganglani

No matter where you look, whether it’s in magazines, on billboards or television we are bombarded with advertisements showing people with perfect white teeth and beautiful pink gums. They stare at you mockingly, laughing because they have it and you don’t… a healthy perfect smile.

You brush twice a day when you remember to, floss twice a year (usually on the day of your dental check up) but your gums still bleed. There’s a bad taste in your mouth that will not go away and your breath smells like yesterday’s maachi pulao. You may be infected with one of the most common and under-diagnosed diseases affecting most people today:  Periodontal disease (also known as gum disease).

Q: What is periodontal disease?

Periodontal disease (perio: gum, dontal: tooth structures) is a disease that can affect anyone regardless of their gender, sex, age or race. We all have plaque that forms on our teeth as the foods we eat are broken down and acids that mix with our saliva are released, forming a coating around our teeth. (Take your nail and scratch your tooth with it, the residue on your finger is plaque. Eww gross, right?)

Q: How do I get periodontal disease?

This early plaque accumulation is a pre-periodontal disease stage known as gingivitis. Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) is characterized by reddish gums that randomly bleed when brushing and may be accompanied by bad breath. This stage is distinct from periodontal disease as it is fully reversible and does not necessarily progress to full blown disease.  Refer to the sidebar on how to reverse gingivitis.

If plaque is left alone, it sticks to your teeth making it easier for more plaque to stick to it and more and more. If you neglect to remove that plaque via brushing, flossing and rinsing with mouthwash, it becomes almost impossible to remove it at home. This hard plaque becomes known by a number of cute names, like tartar (not the sauce) and calculus (not the math subject). Your body senses this hard plaque and sends in the troops to wage “operation calculus freedom”. This build-up of troops in the gums is experienced as puffy swollen gums that are red and bleed when you brush. (Let me clarify something – bleeding gums are NOT healthy under any circumstances. It’s the same as saying “Oh, my nose bleeds every day, it’s no big deal.” If your nose was bleeding everyday you’d be in your physician’s office as soon as possible.) As the body fights the offending bacteria, it causes a loosening of the gums that surround the teeth and eventually eats away at the bone socket that holds your teeth in your mouth. Every member of your family has potential to get periodontal disease and chances are some already have it; like diabetes and high blood pressure, it is not something that can be cured but only controlled, and you won’t know you have it until your dentist diagnoses it for you. Periodontal disease can also be transmitted from person to person, so husbands and wives can infect and re-infect each other.

Q: If it doesn’t hurt me why should I care?

Like most aspects of your oral health, pain is usually the last stage of the problem. When you feel pain it generally means that the infection is so far along that treatment will be more reactive than proactive. It’s like having to replace an entire cracked windshield when you could have repaired it while it was small. When you start to feel pain in your gums and they bleed for no reason, you are more than likely in an advanced stage of gum disease. Treatment options shift from non-invasive deep cleanings to pulling teeth and undergoing gum surgery. So don’t wait until it hurts; it may be too late.
Take your parents to the Dentist!

Our Sindhi parents have grown up with the altruistic mindset of taking care of everyone around them while neglecting themselves.  As a result of this continued self-neglect, the responsibility now lies on our younger shoulders. In my practice, I see Indian parents bringing in their children, but rarely coming in themselves. Hopefully with the following information I will empower you to educate your parents, uncles, aunts, etc. on the value of healthy gums (and it’s about time that we lectured them about something.)

Smoking and gum disease

Even with studies attesting to their negative effects on our health many people still smoke. Smoking has a profound impact on the oral cavity. Cigarettes and chewing tobacco are known causes of oral cancer that can spread to other parts of the body. Earlier it was mentioned that early gum disease was characterized by bleeding puffy gums. Cigarette smoking reduces the degree of bleeding by causing the closure of the blood vessels that feed the teeth and gums. This gives smokers a false belief that their gums are healthy, when in fact their gums are worse off. In constricting these blood vessels, smoking interferes with the….

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