Clear aligners and periodontal diseases
It is one of the major concerns – How clear aligners prevent periodontal disease if a patient is using clear aligners for teeth straightening. Dental care is the most neglected part of our health as we only rely on brushing and flossing once or twice a day to keep that in check. However, neglected oral hygiene can lead to more than just teeth problems. It has been medically proved that dental hygiene is directly related to heart health and therefore, proper dental care routines should be followed to keep dental and cardiac health intact.
What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease or gum disease is the condition where gums get infected causing damage to the soft tissue and jaw bones. If it is not treated at right time, the damaged soft tissue transfers the infection to the supporting bone of the teeth. If the supporting bone and soft tissue both get infected, it can lead to the loosening of the tooth from the jaw and ultimately result in tooth loss.
Types of periodontal diseases:
Periodontal diseases can be categorized into two major types that is Gingivitis and periodontitis.
Gingivitis: In this condition, the gums are severely affected by the bacteria causing them to inflame. The symptoms include redness, irritation, and swelling in the area around the teeth or gingiva. This is essentially a mild and most common type of periodontal disease. It also leads to receding gums. Receding gums is the condition where the gums surrounding the teeth start to pull back making the teeth exposed more than normal. The root of the teeth starts to show when the gum wears off in the case of receding gums.
Periodontitis: It is a more severe and complex gum disease that can pose risk to your oral as well as overall health. Periodontitis is a condition where bacteria infect the soft tissue as well as the bones around the teeth. Once the infection travels from the soft tissue of the gums to the bone, it wrecks the support system of the teeth thereby loosening the tooth and ultimately leading to tooth loss.
Here are the symptoms that one should look for to predict the chances of periodontal diseases in their mouth.
- Bleeding gums
- Swollen gums
- Gums feel tender
- Irritation in gums
- Bad breath
- Gum color starts to change.
- Blood shows in spit after brushing and flossing.
- Pain while eating or chewing food.
- Teeth loosen
- Tooth loss
- Receding gums
- Bite problems
If you observe any such symptoms in your teeth then you must consult a dentist to identify the type of periodontal disease and start the suitable treatment for it.
Clear aligner treatment with periodontal disease
Periodontal diseases are a very common dental problem. The main cause of this disease is a lack of oral hygiene. Therefore, to keep these diseases at bay one must brush and floss teeth twice daily. People with misaligned teeth often feel unsatisfied with their brushing and flossing routines as the cleaning equipment does not reach every nook and corner of the teeth. The food debris remains stuck in unreached teeth corners resulting in cavities and other dental problems. People who are willing to go for clear aligner treatment are skeptical about the fact that whether or not should they start with a clear aligner treatment when they are suffering from any periodontal disease. To wipe away your confusion we must clearly tell you that clear aligner treatment can be started even when the patient is suffering from any periodontal disease. In fact, clear aligners are a more suited mode of orthodontic treatment in periodontally compromised patients where braces are a complete no.
The clear aligner treatment is meant to straighten teeth and bring them to the proper position does not only give an esthetic advantage to your facial features but all help a patient to maintain superior oral hygiene once the teeth are straight, brushing, cleaning and flossing become much easier. Moreover, people who aren’t suffering from any periodontal disease and are undergoing clear aligner treatment for proper teeth alignment save themselves from any threat of periodontal diseases in the future.
How to start with clear aligner treatment for periodontal disease?
If you are a candidate for clear aligners but you are also suffering from any periodontal disease then the first step is to consult a dentist who would predict the stage of the dental problem. He will make a decision on whether one can start the clear aligner treatment or should undergo procedures like plague removal, teeth cleaning, tartar cleaning, infection treatment, etc. before stating the clear aligner treatment. According to the severity of the periodontal disease, the dentist will choose whether to start with clear aligners immediately or treat the periodontal disease first or let both treatments go hand in hand!