It may surprise you, but dental care doesn’t stop at just keeping your teeth healthy. When it comes to maintaining good oral health, your gums are just as important as your teeth. Periodontal disease is a broad term used to describe the various diseases that form in the gums. These can range from simple inflammation of the gums to more serious diseases that can result in tooth loss and bone damage.

Gum disease can be slowed, stopped, even completely prevented with the proper dental care. When plaque gets on your teeth and doesn’t get cleaned off by correct and regular brushing and flossing, it can harden, forming “tartar” or “calculus”. Once plaque becomes tartar, there’s no brushing it off. Only a visit to the dentist’s office can get the tartar off of your teeth. The tartar can form underneath your gums as well. The longer that plaque and tartar is left on your teeth, the more harm they cause.

Read more about gum disease treatment.