What you can do to mitigate gum disease prevalence

The prevalence of gum disease or otherwise known as Periodontal disease is imposing health risk and financial strains on the American population. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a large portion of all Americans experience some form of periodontal disease, while a majority, or up to 48% experience mild to chronic levels of gum disease. Around nine to ten percent of those dealing with Periodontal disease are experiencing more severe cases.

This of course has negative implications for both the individual’s oral health and their financial status. The negative health consequences to perio patients that do not get adequate treatment to reverse the progression, begin with gum recession. It then worsens to tooth loss, bone deterioration and some have even associated it with heart and cardiovascular disease. The financial implication is another matter for discussion, and we will delve into this a little further down below. Both the short term and long-term potential cost of gum disease treatment can take a toll on a family’s financial capacity.

Gum Disease Prevention is Key!

According to Mouth Healthy, which is brought to you by the American Dental Association, 47.2% of Americans are experiencing some form of chronic gum disease. With such a prevalence amongst the American citizens, what can be done to reduce this problem?

Prevention is the key, once you become a perio patient, you have to continue your dental visits every 3 months for perio maintenance. The solution to this costly problem is preventative measures, allowing you to reduce the ability to increase your chances of acquiring periodontal disease in the first place.

• Brush your teeth 2 to 3 times daily.
• Visit your dentist for a checkup 2 times per year.
• Floss your teeth at least once per day.
• Get a cleaning twice per year or a deep cleaning if your dentist recommends it.
• Eat healthy, studies have shown, healthy foods help reduce the prevalence of gum disease.
• Drink lots of water throughout the day and especially after meals to wash down your meal, to avoid bacteria from developing.

Prevention, prevention, prevention should be your motto as it relates to your oral health. Unfortunately, periodontal disease is such a serious oral issue that once you have it, it will take continuous treatment every 3 months until the day you no longer need the treatment.

Financial Implications of Gum Disease Treatment

The cost to treat gum disease can be awfully expensive over time. At least, the positive side is that once you start the initial treatment, someone without dental insurance could still cover the cost over the separate periods of treatment. The initial cost for all four quadrants of the mouth will be the heaviest cost you will incur.

Below is a list of some of the cost associated with the initial dental treatments:

• Hygienist does deep cleaning (SRP) of all 4 quadrants. On average you could pay around $344 per quadrant if you do not have health insurance.
• Laser Treatment for all four quadrants will cost you on average around $55 per quadrant.
• Anti-Cavity Coating will run you about $10 per side.

Below are the continuous services you will require to maintain the prevalence of gum disease:

• Every 3 months you’ll require a perio maintenance, which is like a prophy but for gum disease. This is required for treatment & monitoring and will run you on average about $185.
• If additional laser treatment is needed during this portion of the process, you can look at an average cost of about $75 per treatment.

Where to go from here?

Education is primary in prevention. Without education on the bad habits that can lead to periodontal disease, more and more people across the world will be affected by this it. In an effort to increase awareness, please do us a favor and share this article with your family and friends that may need a little direction to avoid these oral problems.