Depression Takes A Tole On Long Island Gum Disease
Battling Long Island gum disease in and of itself is a daunting task that demands discipline in the home and at the Periodontist’s office. In an effort to regain a healthy mouth individuals fighting gum disease have to agree to a rigorous treatment plan and then follow through. If you’re also suffering from depression the burden of recovering a healthy mouth may be harder to obtain.
In fact the Journal of Periodontology published a study that observed patients over the course of a year and found that those with depression were twice as likely to have sub-optimal results when compared to those without depression. That’s a number worth paying attention to.
The study included 697 patients with 85 of them being diagnosed with some type of depression. Each patient had at least three diseased sites in the mouth with an equivalent depth. The patients were monitored from the initial evaluation until the follow-up one-year later. The results showed that 7.4 percent of mentally healthy patients showed improvement where only 4.7 percent of the depressed patients showed improvement.
But what does depression have to do with the health of your gums? Simply put one major reason depressed patients show a less than optimal result is due to their attitude towards treatment. If they are feeling overwhelmed or anxious about the work ahead it could dramatically impact their commitment and cooperation at home. Equally there is a high likelihood of continued smoking as well as the possibility of having an impaired immune system.
The health of your gums plays a huge a role in the life of your teeth and naturally beautiful smile. Gum disease attacks the soft tissue inside your mouth and beginning with plaque build-up. As the disease progresses pockets form around the tooth exposing root and leading to tooth decay or tooth
Treatment of gum disease, especially at advanced stages, is often extensive and requires a commitment from both the patient and the Periodontist. If you’re dealing with depression it’s important to discuss this with your Periodontist so necessary changes can be made to your treatment plan to ensure success.
If you’re faced with the overwhelming task of fighting Long Island gum disease don’t let the treatment add to your anxiety. Contact Dr. Scharf at (631) 661-6633 or visit him on the web at http://drscharf.com. He can treat gum disease with a laser rather than a scalpel providing you with a calm more relaxing treatment.
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