Gum disease is a big problem for many adults in the U.S. It is made worse by the fact that you can develop gum disease without ever knowing it, because it may not hurt until it is in its later stages. Here is what you need to know.

Gum Disease Is Progressive

Your gums may be suffering from the initial stages of gum disease without you even knowing about it. This is because there are many pockets between your teeth and gums where bacteria and other detritus can collect and begin an infection.

These pockets are hidden below your gum line-out of sight, out of mind-and, as you often do not even feel the very minor infections, you may not even know you have them until they become much worse.

This makes gum disease especially pernicious because you don't always have the warning signal of pain or discomfort to tell you that you need to come see us. In fact, many of our patients have no idea at all that they are suffering from gum disease until they come to have a cleaning, and we tell them about it.

Prevention Is The Best Medicine

Because gum disease may not cause you any pain, you should not rely on the lack of discomfort in your mouth to tell you that everything is fine. Instead, you should aggressively act to prevent gum disease from developing in the first place.

The best way to do this is regular brushing and flossing. Brushing alone-even if you supplement it by using an oral irrigator such as a water pick-is not enough to keep gum disease at bay. You need to floss every day, and be sure to contact our office on a regular basis to have your teeth deep cleaned.