My mom's just told her she has gum disease and might lose few teeth in the next few years. I think it has to do with her smoking but I want to know for sure be I say it to her.
Suggestion:
There are a lot of contributing factors to gum disease including oral hygiene, tobacco use, etc. A person that doesn't brush twice a day and floss regularly acquires a buildup of plaque on the teeth. This plaque in turn calcifies and hardens and forms calculus, also known tartar. The bacteria that lives on this calculus causes swelling and redness as the immune system tries to fight off the bacteria. The bacteria invades the surrounding tissues, and as the immune system kills bacteria, it actually begins destroying health tissue and bone as well. This is what leads to bone loss and recession, which are collectively referred to as periodontal disease or gum disease. It could be poor oral hygiene that led to her diseased state. However, tobacco does play a role as well. Tobacco stains the teeth and dries out the mouth, which creates a rough, drier surface for the plaque to stick to. Tobacco also reduces the amount of bleeding typically seen with gingivitis, the precursor to periodontal disease, so she may have missed out on a red flag that something was wrong before it was too late.
I see this every single day, and it saddens me, because it is 100% preventable.
For more information, you can check out the website below:
http://www.perio.org/consumer/smoking.htm
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