Lately, you’ve been considering pursuing cosmetic dentistry in order to correct the flaws on your teeth that have been bothering you. However, when you visited your dentist, they ended up finding signs of gum disease. What does this mean for your plans to enhance your smile? Can you still have cosmetic dental work performed, or will you need to have your gum disease treated first? Here’s what you need to know.
What Does It Mean If You Have Gum Disease?
Gum disease is an infection of the soft tissues that normally protect the roots of your teeth. It often results in gums that are swollen, red, and prone to bleeding easily. Furthermore, if gum disease goes untreated for too long, it can damage the gums and the jawbone, eventually resulting in tooth loss.
Can Gum Disease Stop You From Undergoing Cosmetic Dental Work?
Having cosmetic dentistry performed while you’re currently suffering from gum disease is not recommended. For one thing, oral health should always be a priority over the appearance of your smile; whatever improvements you may want to make to your teeth, they can wait until the issue in your gums has been taken care of.
On top of that, certain forms of cosmetic dentistry can actually get in the way of gum disease treatment. For example, veneers can cover your teeth, potentially making it more difficult to remove the plaque and tartar that may be contributing to an infection of the gums.
There’s also the matter of gum recession. As gum disease grows more severe, it causes the gum tissues to pull away from the teeth, exposing the roots. This can result in significant tooth sensitivity if you choose to have teeth whitening performed.
What Can You Do About Gum Disease?
The good news is that once your gum disease has been treated, it will no longer be an obstacle to having cosmetic dentistry performed. Thus, it’s in your overall best interest to ask your dentist about having your gum disease treated as soon as possible.
Infected gums often call for a deep cleaning procedure that consists of two main steps: scaling and root planing. Scaling involves the removal of plaque and tartar that have built up around and below the gumline. Meanwhile, root planing is when the roots of the teeth are smoothed out, making it more difficult for bacteria to build up on them in the future.
In short, gum disease is not a problem you can afford to ignore before having cosmetic dentistry performed, but once it has been properly taken care of, you can move forward with pursuing the smile that you’ve always wanted.
About the Practice
Here at Boston Smile Center, we strive to provide our patients with a truly comprehensive dental experience, offering a wide variety of services under a single roof. This includes scaling and root planing for gum disease treatment as well as a wide range of smile-enhancing cosmetic dentistry options. To schedule a consultation at our practice in Brookline, visit our website or call (617) 739-1017.