When you notice that your gums are bleeding when you brush, gum disease can sometimes cross your mind. However, not everyone goes in and gets checked at the first sign of a problem. This can cause the problems to get worse, and leave your oral health in the balance.

If you notice even a slight puffiness to your gums, or bleeding gums when you brush, it is time to see your dentist, or better yet, your periodontist. Periodontists are gum specialists, and will be able to help diagnose if your problem stems from gum disease or not.

The Process Of Diagnosing Gum Disease

Diagnosing gum disease isn’t difficult, but treating it can be. When you go in for a cleaning, your dentist looks at how tight your gums are to your teeth. The spaces between the two are called pockets. In a healthy set of gums, the pockets should be no larger than 3mm. If your pockets are less than that, you are likely fine.

However, if your pockets are larger than that, you may be starting to struggle with gum disease. Gums recede when gum disease is present, and can cause larger pockets.

Sensitive teeth are examined as part of the diagnosis, and x-rays are taken. This is to help discover the cause of the problem, and to see if there has been any bone loss from something like gum disease.

If the dentist sees signs of these problems, they are going to have you go see your periodontist. They will be able to figure out what stage of gum disease you are at, and how to treat it moving forward.

For more information on getting gum disease diagnosed, ask your periodontist for details. They can explain the process, and what the treatment plans may include.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at (832) 975-0990 today.