Maintaining the health and beauty of our teeth becomes more of a challenge as we get older. For women, this challenge gets even more difficult after menopause, when the hormonal changes in the body can impact its ability to fight gum disease.
This leads to increasing risk of receding gums, and possibly even the loss of teeth. But new evidence suggests that treatments aimed at preventing osteoporosis can also help protect against gum disease and reduce these risks.
spongy structure of the bone
Comparing Gum Disease in Treated and Untreated Women
To determine the benefits of osteoporosis treatment, researchers looked at the oral health of 492 postmenopausal women. Less than a quarter of the women (113) were receiving osteoporosis treatments. These treatments consisted of nutrition supplements plus estrogen or estrogen plus progestin. Women received at least six months of osteoporosis treatment before their oral health was evaluated.
Women receiving osteoporosis treatment showed better gum health. They had less attachment loss, lower probing depths, and less gum bleeding. They also had a 44% lower risk of severe gum disease, defined for purposes of this study as 6 mm (about ¼ inch) of attachment loss and at least one site with 5 mm probing depth.
Attachment loss is the direct predecessor to receding gums. If untreated, detached gums will turn into receding gums.
These relative risk reductions was after researchers adjusted for other factors known to relate to gum disease, including age, smoking,income, and regular dental checkups. Researchers considered other aspects of oral health, too, such as the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT), but weren’t able to establish a correlation.
Preventing and Treating Receding Gums
If you are looking to maintain your oral health and the appearance of your teeth, prevention is your best approach. Make regular visits to your dentist, brush and floss every day, and eat a tooth-healthy diet.
And, it seems, hormone replacement therapy may have a place in that prevention formula for women after menopause.
But if prevention hasn’t worked and you have receding gums, don’t worry. You can still have attractive, healthy gums, at a youthful position. First we will treat your gum disease if necessary. Then we can use the Chao Pinhole ® gum rejuvenation technique to repair receding gums. This can give your gums a youthful, attractive appearance, and can help reduce tooth sensitivity related to receding gums.
To learn more about restoring receding gums in Wilmington, NC, please call (910) 392-6060 today for an appointment with cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael J. Kuzma at Kuzma Advanced Dentistry.
