How Gum Disease is Linked to Covid-19 and Other Medical Conditions

COVID-19 has tremendously impacted all spheres of human life, making every person caring about their own health more than ever. The virus is associated with numerous complications, and dental issues are one of them. Recent research proves that a periodontitis disease comes up with severe COVID-19 consequences and other medical conditions. However, to be aware of all the details, one should know more about gum disease.

What is Periodontitis Disease?

Gum disease is one of the most common dental illnesses that affects the supporting structure of teeth including bones and gum tissue. Lots of people suffer from it because of avoiding regular oral habits and neglecting simple dentist’s recommendations. As a result, the body reacts with inflammation to a bacterial infection in the gums. Periodontal disease may boost the risks of severe COVID-19 outcomes and other health complications such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, along with difficulties in dementia and pregnancy.

What are Periodontal Diseases Symptoms?

The main peculiarity of gum disease is that it may progress painlessly, coming up with only a few signs. In simpler words, its detection will be quite challenging even at the late stage of disease development. Still, there are several symptoms that point to the presence of some disorder. These are as follows:

•         Receding gums
•         Blood during and after teeth cleaning
•         Shifting/loose teeth
•         Tender, swollen, red teeth
•         Changes while biting as teeth do not fit together as before
•         Bad taste in the mouth or constant bad breath
•         Forming pockets between gums and teeth

Yet, even if you do not notice any of these signs, a disease may develop. Only a dental specialist will definitely say whether you have periodontitis or not.

How is periodontal disease diagnosed?

A doctor will perform a complete dental exam to check the inflammation. A small rule is usually used for probing and measuring pockets around the teeth. The expected depth is from 1 to 3 millimeters. Sometimes, dentists take X-rays for checking the bone loss. If you have noticed any of the provided symptoms, you need to discuss them with a dentist. It will assist to diagnose gingivitis and choose further treatment for teeth and supporting structures. It is when you will find the answer to the question “what is restorative dentistry” as exactly it is specialized in solving these issues.

How to Treat Gum Infections?

The purpose of gum disease periodontal treatment is to help healthy gums reattach teeth again, decrease swelling, risk of infection, depth of pockets, and of course, stop the development of the disease. The options that you will take to treat the gum infections depend on many factors, such as overall health condition, the stage of the condition at the given moment, and the reaction of the organism to previous treatments. Options vary, but in general, they can be divided into two groups:

Home remedies

Home remedies for treating gum infections are simple and quite affordable. In case you are eager to treat the infection, you should begin with good preventative care. If you are at the early stage of disease progression, you can overcome it in just a couple of weeks with the help of top-quality home practice:

•         Use warm salt water for rinsing to relieve symptoms
•         Brush between the teeth or use a toothpick
•         Clean teeth well twice per day, concentrating on the gums

Conventional treatments

The cost of conventional treatment will depend on the type of gum infection that you have. It is possible to highlight such common examples of infection treatment as:

•         Gum grafting surgery
•         Prescription of mouthwash
•         Routine or deep cleanings
•         Root canal therapy or other restorative dentistry near me options
•         Prescription of antibiotics to lessen symptoms before the actual treatment

COVID-19 and Gum Disease

At the time of the COVID-19 outbreak all over the world, researchers study different issues that may lead to severe health complications. Gum disease is one of them. Over 560 cases were investigated in the case-control study. Scientists state that COVID -19 patients can have worse outcomes if they have a periodontal disease. According to the received results, inflammation in the body may make the person more prone to a harder form of coronavirus infection, including the need for assisted ventilation. Prof. Marino Sanz states that patients with gum disease can inhale oral bacteria that finally infect the lungs. This may end up with a risk of death, especially for those who need ventilation. Hospital staff must identify patients who have periodontitis along with COVID-19 and use oral antiseptics to decrease the spread of bacteria. That’s why proper dental care should be a part of recommendations for reducing severe outcomes of COVID-19.

 What are Other Health Complications?

Although a gum disease leads to such dental issues as loss of teeth, loose teeth, receding gums, and gum abscesses among others, it is also associated with other health complications. Among them are Alzheimer’s disease, lung infections, stroke, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, and premature labor.

Why is Gum Disease in New Mexico So High?

Сenters of Disease Control and Prevention studied the cases of gum disease and reported that Hawaii and New Mexico have the worst statistics on this issue. The researchers claim that such a tendency is caused by a large number of smokers, ethnic minorities, and low social-economic status. The situation worsens even more with limited access to dental options. Besides, citizens of New Mexico tend to suffer from diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease tied with systemic inflammation similar to the one found in gum disease. Luckily, New Mexicans can improve the situation by taking preventative measures.  

How to Prevent Periodontal Disease?

It is possible to stop the development of gum disease at the early stage almost in all cases if a good plaque control is applied. Such control includes professional cleanings every six months as well as proper daily cleaning and flossing. Cleaning removes plaque from the teeth surfaces while flossing helps get rid of food particles from all hard-to-reach places in the mouth. Antibacterial rinses are a good option for overcoming bacteria that leads to plaque and periodontal disease. There are also some recommendations that you can follow to prevent periodontal disease, and decrease the risks of its development. Here they are:

•         Avoid grinding and clenching the teeth. These bad habits lead to tissue destruction, so you need to consider alternative ways to calm down.
•         Stop smoking. It puts people at a higher risk of having gum disease in comparison to non-smokers. Moreover, treatment has no guarantees for smokers. You can minimize chances for the development of gum disease by quitting smoking as soon as possible.  
•         Stay away from stress. Once your body is stressed; its immune system stops to overcome infection successfully. Do your best to reduce stress both in private and business life.
•         Keep proper nutrition. A well-balanced diet is an effective way to deal with an infection. Products with antioxidant features such as nuts, oils, leafy vegetables that contain vitamin E, and fruit, potatoes, broccoli with vitamin C, will help restore the damaged tissue.

It would be more difficult to save teeth from periodontal disease with proper home and professional dental care if you are genetically susceptible to it. In simple words, if someone in your family has such a problem, it means that you are at a greater risk to suffer from it as well. In this case, you may need to approach preventative dentistry more frequently.  What is preventative dentistry? It is your chance to stay healthy thanks to more regular dental check-ups, treatments and cleanings that allow managing the condition more successfully. Preventive dental care decreases the risks for quick development of gum disease.

Summing-up

Gum disease may happen to everyone, but some people are at a greater risk, for example, those who are older than 65. According to numerous studies, periodontal disease may be a risk factor for more serious COVID-19 outcomes. Preventative measures are a key option in this case. A person should visit the dentist’s office at least twice per year and keep to daily dental care. If you notice any of the above-mentioned signs, do not postpone your consultation with the Albuquerque emergency dentist.  Timely diagnosis and proper treatment will help you cope with the progression of gum disease. Specialists of Gallegos Family Dentistry will do a dental exam and evaluate the condition of your oral health. Combine professional and home treatment, leaving no chance for the development of gum disease.