Now the Good News The dangers of gum disease have been established, and most dental insurance plans offer coverage to pay for available treatments. With advanced periodontal disease, the treatment is surgical. However, for all other cases there are potent NON-surgical treatments that, combined with enhanced dental hygiene, can essentially stop the spread of the disease. Cox Family Dentistry      James T. Cox, III, DMD      Dallas J. Kunkel, DMD      101 Perpetual Square Drive    Anderson, SC 29621     (864) 226-4300     CoxFamilyDentistrySC.com  

Gum Disease Can Contribute to Heart Disease and Even Stroke Recent medical research has verified a link showing that gum disease contributes to the onset of stroke, heart disease, and many other life-threatening ailments. So you can understand why treating gum disease is an extremely important step in your efforts to retain your overall good health.  The American Dental Association estimates that 8 out of 10 people in the United States have periodontal (gum) disease. An 80% infection rate should require gum disease to be handled as a national epidemic, but because tooth loss has long been thought of as nothing more than unpleasant, the ruthlessness of the disease has been ignored for far too long. However, things are changing.  The American Academy of Periodontology reports: “Studies found periodontal infection may contribute to the development of heart disease, increase the risk of premature, underweight births, and pose a serious threat to people whose health is already c...

Many medical professionals consider obesity to be a chronic disease. It is well understood that obesity is on the rise in the United States, and that younger and younger members of our community are becoming obese due to poor nutrition and eating habits. Research has demonstrated that obesity will increase the risk for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, CVD, respiratory problems, and endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancers.1 It has also been demonstrated in a recent research study that obesity also increases the risk for periodontal disease, and it may be insulin resistance that regu¨lates the relationship between obesity and periodontal disease.1  It has also been found that individuals with elevated body mass indices (BMI) produce a higher level of inflammatory proteins.1 The classifications of being overweight and obese can pertain to more than 60 percent of American adults. It is even higher for some high-risk populations, such as African-American women, placi...

The Primary Cause of Lost Teeth Periodontal (gum) disease is a slowly advancing, nearly painless affliction that loses people more teeth than any other cause. In fact, you may not even know your gums are infected until after your teeth are permanently damaged. Have you noticed these symptoms: bleeding gums when you brush or floss, loose teeth, or shifting teeth? If so, your teeth are at risk, but it’s not too late. Even if you’ve been told that you require gum surgery, we can help. Up-to-date dental treatments have made it possible to control gum disease with a variety of non-surgical procedures. Cox Family Dentistry     James T. Cox, III, DMD     Dallas J. Kunkel, DMD     101 Perpetual Square Drive   Anderson, SC 29621     (864) 226-4300     CoxFamilyDentistrySC.com