Category: Blog/ News

You hear the term “periodontal disease,” and you may know that it refers somehow to the state of health of your gums. But what exactly is periodontal disease?

Periodontal disease, an inflammatory condition that affects tooth-supporting structures, adversely impacts not only oral health but also a plethora of other health conditions throughout the body. In particular, gum disease has been linked to high blood pressure. Gum disease also makes it more difficult to treat high blood pressure levels. Why?

It is not hard to comprehend why periodontal disease, typically caused by a bacterial infection in the mouth, damages the teeth, gums, and bone. But did you know that periodontal disease impacts not just the mouth, but also the whole body?

Do your gums bleed when you floss or brush? Are your gums tender to the touch and appear puffy and red? Do you experience a lingering bad taste in your mouth, even after you brush your teeth? It may be time for a professional assessment for periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. To evaluate you for gum disease, a periodontist will analyze a number of components.

At North Raleigh Periodontics we constantly strive to find ways to make our patients’ experiences as positive as possible. Part of this endeavor involves implementing cutting-edge technology to facilitate exceptional periodontal treatment combined with extraordinary patient comfort and care. That is why we are excited to have implemented digital, intraoral scanners here at North Raleigh Periodontics.

Wouldn’t it be great to do something we all enjoy — and improve our appearance doing it? Guess what? You can! Read on to discover how eating certain foods can actually whiten your teeth.

Implants are one of my most frequently performed procedures. The particular method I choose in placing the implant depends on a variety of factors such as the oral health of the patient, the density of the alveolar bone, whether the patient has experienced recession, the thickness of the surrounding gum and bone, etc. We use 3-D x-ray imaging to complete a thorough analysis of the implant site prior to the initial implant placement and to determine which process to utilize. For “staged” implants, after the initial implant placement, I typically allow a period of four months for the implant to integrate and the site to heal. After that time, I perform a surgical procedure called an “uncovering.”

Gum disease, the infection of the hard and soft oral structures that hold teeth in place, exists on a range of severity for individual patients. Dr. Singletary implements differing treatment protocols based upon the varying stages of gum disease that patients present.

Periodontal disease, a.k.a. gum disease, progresses in stages if left untreated. These stages are: (1) healthy gums, (2) gingivitis, (3) periodontitis, and (4) advanced periodontitis. Read on to learn how to recognize the incremental onset of the disease.

It is a fact that periodontal health impacts not simply the teeth and gums, but the entire body. The connection between gum health and systemic health affects individuals’ risk of heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer, among many other systemic complications. Unfortunately for men, periodontal disease impacts the whole-body health of men disproportionately to women. In fact, while women develop periodontal disease at a rate of 38.4%, men suffer from the disease at a rate of 56.4%.