We are on your side talking about periodontal disease. So we're talking about in the mouth area right there. And our dentist expert says one out of every two people you know over the age of 30 actually have to deal with [unclear]. Chris Swicord is the owner of Smile Craft Dentistry. And he joins us in studio right now. How are you doing, Chris? Doing great. How are you doing?
So I kind of said we know we're talking about in the mouth area. We're talking with a dentist. What is periodontal disease? What is it actually? Right, it's a great question. So periodontal disease is a gum infection that penetrates deep into the bone and the tissues around the teeth. And your body, when it tries to defend itself from this infection, ends up actually destroying itself too. So that's how the disease progresses. And this can lead to bone loss and even tooth loss.
Yeah, you got me worrying about my mouth now. Are there things? How prevalent is this? You said one out of every two over the age of 30 suffers. That's right. Yeah, so believe it or not, one out of two people you know over 30 actually has this disease, and they don't even know it, likely. Usually it doesn't hurt, but the damage is still being done. And 80% of Americans will have this at some time in their life. Wow. Is there anything that we can do to prevent it?
Absolutely. Yeah, so brushing and flossing, of course, helps. You've got to do that every day. And really, to prevent it, you need to be screened to find it, right? You want to catch it early, before the damage is done. When you have bone loss, things like this, this is irreversible damage that's been done. So ideally, you get a screening with a probing. The dentist just pokes around the gums. They find a spot that's deeper than 3 millimeters. That represents an area that you can't brush or floss yourself.
Is that something that you all look when you come for that your teeth cleaning every six months? Exactly. So it's not every six months. It should be done at least once a year. In some cases, patients with really good hygiene, maybe we don't do it every year. So if you are diagnosed with it, what's the treatment out there? What's that like?
Right, so if you get diagnosed with it, it's no big deal. I highly recommend you get the deep cleanings. This will get all the hardened plaque and infection out of those areas and let your body heal up and get back to the 1 to 3 millimeter range that you can brush and floss. Sometimes it takes one or two times for deep cleanings to take effect. And you need to be monitored and watched to make sure that it is healing. And once everything's stable, you're back to regular cleanings. So it is something that can be reversed if you have it. Absolutely.
Yeah, so if people need to get more information or they want to come visit you, where do they do that over at Smile Craft? That's right. You can find me at thesmilecraftdentistry.com. And you can also call us at 205-637-6018. We're here to help you stay healthy and smile confidently. We'd love to meet you. Anyone needs help. Absolutely, right there. Thank you so much there, Chris. No, fantastic work. His gums are perfect, by the way. I've been checking them. All right. Hey, we got plenty more coming your way. You're watching WBRC 6 News at noon. Do not go anywhere.