Our Office
1075 Kinwest Parkway
Suite 100
Irving, TX 75063
New Patients: (972) 499-3392
Existing Patients: (972) 506-9688
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Your Irving dentist, Dr. Jerry Dunn, understands that healthy teeth and gums play an important role in your overall health. You work hard to stay healthy; eating right, exercising, and seeing your physician regularly to maintain good health and prevent serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Helping you avoid disease in your gums supports your healthy lifestyle.
Oral health plays an important role in maintaining a healthy body. In fact, medical research has suggested a link between periodontal (gum) disease and systemic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Periodontal (gum) disease is a bacterial infection which causes damage to the gums and loss of bone surrounding the teeth. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.
Gum disease begins with no symptoms or pain, and progresses over time, destroying more and more tissue. Gum tissue recedes and becomes swollen and reddened. Periodontal disease causes loose teeth in adults. Gum disease treatment becomes more difficult as the disease becomes more advanced. For this reason, early detection of the presence of destructive bacterial is extremely important.
If periodontal disease is directly linked to these serious health conditions, then it makes sense to use a tool which can help identify your genetic susceptibility to periodontal disease as well as test for the presence of destructive bacteria in your mouth.
Dr. Dunn believes strongly that helping you prevent gum disease, and taking corrective action early, is an important part of his job as your oral health advocate. His special interest in your gum health has led him to offer technically advanced screening and treatment options, designed to halt the progression of disease in its early stages before serious damage takes place.
My Perio Path® is a simple, painless test which identifies and measures certain bacteria present in your mouth. This test provides a method of early detection of gum disease which allows for intervention even before symptoms occur. In cases where gingivitis (early stage gum disease) and periodontal disease have been diagnosed, the test also helps identify destructive bacteria, which makes it possible to target gum disease treatment more effectively.
Periodontal disease requires targeted and effective treatment in order to halt the progression of disease and preserve oral health. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection which causes damage to the gums and loss of bone surrounding the teeth.
Preventative dentistry is an important part of maintaining positive oral health. Here are a few ways you can help prevent gum disease:
Dr. Jerry Dunn strongly believes in early detection of periodontal infection. This is why he recommends the My Perio Path® test as a part of your routine dental check-up. Dr. Dunn also recommends this test in advance of certain dental treatments, such as dental implants.
Testing for bacteria which could cause periodontal disease around a dental implant is an important step in planning for dental implant success. The failure rate for dental implants is very low, however, when dental implants do fail, it is often due to a periodontal infection. Eliminating destructive bacteria before a dental implant is placed helps produce more predictable outcomes and increases dental implant success.
As the art and science of dentistry continues to advance, Dr. Jerry Dunn of Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas remains committed to remaining on the leading edge of advanced dental technology.
Most people don’t realize that periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every two adults over the age of 30 in the United States has periodontal disease.
You may be surprised to learn that the human mouth is home to a wide variety of microbes. The fact is that over 700 different strains of bacteria have been detected in the oral cavity. Although some of these bacteria are beneficial, others are harmful to oral health. Without proper oral hygiene and routine dental care, these harmful bacteria can cause tooth decay and gum disease, compromising both your oral health and overall wellbeing.
In addition to inadequate oral hygiene and infrequent professional care, other factors, including smoking, genetic tendencies, and unchecked diabetes, can contribute to the escalation of periodontal disease.
Your gums and teeth have an interdependent relationship, which means healthy teeth depend on the support of healthy gums. Also, taking care of your smile does more than keep your teeth and gums in optimal condition; good oral health also supports systemic health. In addition to being the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, researchers are finding more and more links between periodontal disease and a number of medical problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory problems, and adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-term and low birth-weight babies.
If you notice that your gums are bleeding with the slightest pressure while brushing or flossing, it’s a sign of gingivitis. Although gingivitis is the earliest stage of gum disease, it can easily be reversed with deeper cleanings as well as an improved regimen of oral hygiene at home.
In the absence of professional treatment and better home care, gingivitis progresses to the next stage, which is known as periodontitis. In this stage, the connective tissue and bone that hold the teeth in place begin to break down with an increase in pocketing between the teeth and bone, gum recession, and bone loss. Without proper treatment by your dentist, periodontitis will progress from a mild to moderate loss of supporting tissue to the destruction of the bone around the teeth.
Although gingivitis can often be reversed with improved oral hygiene and professional cleanings, as periodontal disease advances, more extensive procedures are required to halt its progression. Based on a complete assessment of your periodontal health and a review of possible contributing factors, our office will recommend the best options in care. Treatment for periodontitis may include a series of deeper cleanings known as root planing and scaling, surgical procedures to reduce pocket depth, bone or tissue grafts, laser procedures, or antimicrobial medications.
The cost of care depends on the type of procedures required to restore your periodontal health. If you have dental insurance, plans often cover treatment to prevent gum disease as well as many procedures to treat the various stages of gum disease. Our goal is to help patients restore and maintain good oral health. We do all we can to help you begin care without additional stress or delay. Our business office works with you to maximize your benefits and provide easier, more convenient payment options.
By seeing our office regularly for care and doing your best to eat a healthy diet and practice good oral hygiene, you can keep your smile in tip-top shape as well as protect your overall wellbeing.
At the office of Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas, we provide a comprehensive range of services to address all your oral healthcare needs. You can rest assured that your smile is in the best of hands at our office. Our skilled and experienced team maintains a position at the forefront of advances in care and remains dedicated to providing the highest quality of skilled and compassionate treatment.
