Over years of practice and thousands of patients I can tell you this is one of the most common questions we are asked when we tell a patient they have gum disease (periodontal disease or pyorrhea). Unfortunately, there is not one simple factor that leads to this diagnosis.
There are a number of risk factors people have that make them more prone to gum disease, almost all of which increase with age. In dentistry we put them into the following 3 categories:
- Modifiable, the stuff you can help with.
- Non-modifiable, the stuff you have no control over.
- Others, you knew we had to have a catch all for stuff we can’t categorize.
Modifiable risk factors
Smoking is a huge one. If you smoke you are up to 7.28 times as likely to have gum problems. Even if you used to smoke but have stopped you are almost twice as likely to have issues.
Diabetes is another one. Although you cannot cure your diabetes you can help control it. Are you taking your medication, watching your diet, etc.
Alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can actually dry your mouth creating a better environment for the bacteria that cause gum disease.
Are you brushing and flossing properly and often enough? If not you are letting bacteria that cause gum disease grow.
Non-modifiable risk factors
Did mom and dad have gum disease? Some studies suggest 50% of your susceptibility to gum disease is genetic.
Osteoporosis can also alter the jaw bone increasing your risk for gum disease.
Other Risk Factors
Aging. Is anyone else getting older? Does your body handle colds, the flu, 3 hours of tennis on Saturday the way it used to? It also doesn’t fight off gum disease the way it used and the older you get the higher your risk for it.
Your personal history. If you ever HAD gum disease then you will always have it. We cannot cure it but we certainly can help you control it.
The bottom line here is much like any other health issue…take care of yourself! In this case that means brushing 2-3 times per day with an electric brush (we are fans of the Sonicare), flossing daily, rinsing daily (we like Listerine) and seeing your dentist (we recommend us) regularly. Help control the things you can and help minimize the things you can’t.
As always, thanks for allowing us to be your dentist. If you have any questions about this or any other topic we can help with please feel free to call, come by or shoot us an e-mail.
Thanks,
Jeff L. Rodgers, DMD
J Int Acad Periodontol. 2005 January; 7(1): 3–7.