What We Know NowA recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the following data related to prevalence of periodontitis in the United States.
- 2% of adults aged 30 years and older have some form of periodontal disease.
- Periodontal Disease increases with age: 70% of adults 65 years and older have periodontal disease.
Furthermore, the CDC says that to help prevent or control periodontal diseases, it is important to:
- Brush and floss every day to remove the bacteria that cause gum disease.
- See a dentist at least once a year for checkups, or more frequently if you have any of the warning signs or risk factors mentioned above.
What is Periodontitis and why should I care?
Periodontitis (perio) is a bacterial infection of the gums that may result in tooth loss. That’s bad enough. But increasingly, we’re discovering apparent links between perio and other systemic diseases—that is, problems in other parts of the body. These include diabetes, heart disease, and complications of pregnancy like premature and low birth weight babies plus many cancers.
The jury is still out on these links, and the relationships are complex, but the essence of the problem is this:
Periodontitis is an infection, which can be picked up by the blood in the gums (and there’s plenty there). Then spread where it can do additional dirty work in different spots in the body. That’s why stopping the spread of perio (or, better, preventing it in the first place) is important for reasons that go way beyond saving teeth.
It’s hard to know what to think and who to believe nowadays with each cycle of consumer news and social media. The bottom line—we care about you. We have nothing to gain in recommending flossing to you except knowing we are sharing with you our professional knowledge and experience on best practices for caring for your dental and overall health.
