It’s quite possible you’ve never been tested for Periodontal Disease, because I wasn’t and I’ve been to 8 dentists. According to the CDC, half of Americans have Periodontal Disease — and unfortunately — I am one of those people.

It’s something I never imagined I’d deal with — but at this point in my health journey, nothing surprises me.

Me? And my perfectly pink, non-bleeding gums? DON’T THINK SO!

The good news is: it’s currently under control, thanks to all the things I’ve implemented below.

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But as much as it sucks, I’m glad I found out because it’s essential you deal with it if you want to save your teeth. Also, if you have chronic illness, leaving an unresolved infection in your mouth will continue to make it impossible to heal. It’s just as important to deal with Periodontal Disease as it is your root canals.

Not to mention, infections of the mouth are highly correlated to cardiac events. Bacteria travels, y’all.

What is Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease occurs when bacteria accumulates (plaque) on the teeth and causes inflammatory processes that occur in the tissues surrounding the teeth. This inflammation of the gingival tissue ultimately leads to a loss of collagen attachment, which leads to loose teeth.

If you deal with chronic health issues or a compromised immune system, you will be more susceptible and less able to fight off this infection. Once the particular bacteria that causes this disease is present, you will always have it — it’s a matter of managing it properly!

How Do You Test For It?

Your dentist needs to measure your pockets by placing a dental probe beside your tooth beneath your gum line, usually at several sites throughout your mouth. It’s a simple test that shouldn’t hurt — although mine did a bit because my gums were so inflamed.

It took my second biological dentist to actually have someone who brought this up. Periodontal Disease is defined by the presence of three or more teeth with pockets of ≥4 mm. If you just have inflamed gums with pockets no greater than 3, you have gingivitis.

I had a few 6s, along with bleeding gums during the test, which indicated gum disease.

Treating Periodontal Disease

1. First you’ll need a deep cleaning.

This involves using an ultrasonic device to bust up biofilms underneath the gum line (yes, the do topical numbing and it didn’t hurt). Then they do manual scraping of additional plaque.

Any dentist (make sure they are experienced with this) can do it, but I recommend you find a biological dentist (check registry here or here) who will inject ozone into the gums after the treatment as to completely sterilize the area

After the series of cleanings, you will need to have dental check ups every three months, until your pockets are looking better.

Don’t be like my mom. My mom found out she had deep pockets and then did not continue with her regular cleanings or do any of the things below – she eventually had to have gum surgery to save her teeth!

2. Use an Ultra Soft Nimbus Brush

These Nimbus toothbrushes came recommended by mom’s gum surgeon — he told her to use ONLY these. I have since ditched all my electric brushes and LOVE it! I realize just how harsh these other ones were on my gums (even the ones the dentist gave me) and these truly feel amazing and get all the plaque off!

3. Brush with Dentalcidin Toothpaste + use LS Liposomal Mouth Rinse

The studies have been shown that Dentalcidin by Bio-Botanical Research is able to bust biofilms that are present in Periodontal Disease, and drastically reduce bacteria.

The Dentalcidin LS Liposomal Mouth Rinse is great to use 1-2x / day and after any dental work.

It’s also a good idea to strengthen enamel by bushing with a re-mineralizing toothpaste once in a while. I like this Risewell one.

4. Use an Oral Probiotic

The problem with most probiotics is they bypass the mouth. With periodontal disease, you’ve got a plethora of bad bacteria in the mouth and it makes sense that you would need to fight that by adding good bacteria. My dentist started me on this one right away —I dissolve in my mouth after before bed. Dental Flora from Biobotanical Research is great too.

5. Alkalize + Remove Toxins with Oil pulling

Bacteria THRIVE in acidic environments (hello coffee breath!) — rebalancing the PH in the mouth is essential. Oil pulling goes all the way back to Ayurvedic medicine, as a way to alkalize the mouth and remove toxins. My biological dentist recommended oil pulling 1x/day.

6. Tongue Scraping

This is a great way to clear toxins from the mouth and let me tell you — your mouth will NEVER feel more clean. I love this Dr. Tungs stainless steal tongue scraper for $6. You want to do this before bed and first thing in the morning BEFORE drinking anything. All night long your body is detoxing and it pushes toxins out through your tongue too!

7. Flossing with the Right Kind of Floss

Sorry, I know you loveeeee that Glide stuff, but it’s going you more harm than good. Not only is it too slippery to actually grab the plaque, it’s also adding wax buildup between the teeth.

Coco Floss REVOLUTIONIZED my dental game. I used to despise flossing and now love it. I could not BELIEVE how much different this is than normal floss and it really cleans your teeth.

8. Xylitol Products

Xylitol is amazing for preventing and fighting tooth decay. It is a non sugar, zero calorie sweetener made from birch trees that actually tastes exactly like sugar — great for diabetics! Turns out, it’s also fabulous at preventing tooth decay.

You can brush with xylitol powder and use the xylitol gum after meals.

9. Fix Dry Mouth

Did you know that dry mouth contributes to cavities and the proliferation of bad bacteria? Saliva is what protects your gums and teeth, so those with sleeping issues or dry mouth are increasing their risk factors. Lumineux makes a great dry mouth oral rinse or you can try dry mouth lozenges.

With all of these interventions and the RIGHT dentist, you CAN manage periodontal disease and prevent it from progressing! After implementing all these things, my gum measurements were all 1-3 and my teeth were back on track!

How To Treat Periodontal Disease And Save Your Teeth!