Did you know that 8.52% of adults aged between 20 and 64 years and older have a certain degree of periodontal disease? Despite it being an alarming medical condition, it’s quite common, and there are several ways to prevent it.
What is Periodontal Disease?
Periodontal disease is a harmful and severe gum infection that can damage your soft tissue. If you leave it untreated, it can destroy the bone that provides support for your teeth. It can even cause your teeth to loosen or fall out.
Periodontal disease is also known as gum disease, and there are different stages to this condition: Gingivitis, slight periodontal disease, moderate periodontal disease, and advanced periodontal disease. Gingivitis is the first stage, and it’s also the only stage where the disease can be reversible.
Slight periodontal disease is the next stage, where it is no longer reversible, and the infection has dug its way into the bone to begin its destroying process.
Moderate periodontal disease is the third stage, and the infection has not only spread to your bones but into your bloodstream, compromising your immune system. The final stage is advanced periodontal disease, where the bacteria has spread to the point where a deep dental intervention is required.
What Are the Symptoms of Periodontal Disease?
Your gums in their healthy state are supposed to have a pale pink color. They also are supposed to be firm and have a tight grip around your teeth. However, with periodontal disease, symptoms look like the following:
- Gums are highly sensitive to touch
- Gums are often swollen
- Gums that bleed easily
- Foul breath
- Pain while chewing
- Spaces forming in between your teeth
- Your teeth looking longer than usual due to the gums pulling back
- Your teeth fit differently whenever you bite
- Pus forming in your gums
If you think you’re experiencing some of these symptoms, contact your dentist. You want to catch the issue as early as possible before it worsens.
What are the Causes and is it Genetic?
When harmful bacteria in your mouth begin to infect the tooth’s tissue, it can cause inflammation around the tooth, leading to periodontal disease. If bacteria reside on the teeth for an extensive amount of time, plaque begins to form. The plaque will gradually harden into tartar.
By allowing the tartar to build up, it’ll begin to spread below the gum line, making your teeth harder to clean. At this point, only a dentist will be able to remove the tartar and prevent the periodontal disease from progressing.
The primary cause of periodontal disease is having poor oral hygiene. If you don’t brush or floss regularly and don’t commit to your regular checkups with your dentist, you run a higher risk of developing this infection. Other factors can also contribute to developing periodontal disease, such as smoking, hormonal changes, and genetics.
Treatment for Periodontal Disease
If your dentist diagnosed you with periodontal disease, the treatment will vary. It depends on how much the disease has progressed. Here are some of the few treatments available.
Scaling and Root Planing
For the earliest stages of periodontal disease, also known as gingivitis, non-surgical treatments can be effective, such as scaling and root planing. Scaling is a deep cleansing technique that eliminates plaque and tartar surrounding the gumline. Root planing is when all the plaque and tartar are removed from the root surfaces and all other rough areas in your mouth where possible bacteria might be residing.
Periodontal Gum Surgery
Another available treatment is periodontal gum surgery. Your dentist will suggest this option if the infection has become too deep and the surrounding pockets require a slight reduction. It consists of your dentist making small incisions in your gums to pull back the tissue a little bit so that the root planing and scaling cleanse can be more effective.
Gum Grafting Surgery
If the periodontal disease has progressed to the point where your gums are receding, then gum graft surgery might be the solution. Gum graft surgery involves reshaping your gums in order to expose the roots of your teeth. During the procedure, your dentist takes the gum tissue and uses it to cover the root to protect your teeth from further recession.
Regenerative procedures
If the periodontal disease has destroyed the bone supporting your teeth, then another procedure that could help reverse the damage is regenerative procedures. During a regenerative procedure, your dentist exposes the root and eliminates as much bacteria as possible. They may even graft the bone to the area surrounding your teeth in order to help your body regenerate any lost tissue or bone, and if the bone is strong enough, you’ll be able to qualify for a dental implant.
Extraction
However, if the periodontal disease progresses and is left untreated, it can reach its worst possible degree. Bone loss becomes too severe, and no other treatment can help save it. In these rare cases, removing the tooth would be the only choice.
How to Prevent Periodontal Disease
The best and most effective way to avoid developing periodontal disease is by sticking to a good and strict oral hygiene routine. What makes a good oral hygiene routine?
For example, brushing your teeth twice a day—ideally in the morning and evening—for at least two minutes and flossing once a day. Flossing is a habit that most people overlook, but it allows you to eliminate any bacteria or foods you might’ve missed when brushing.
Also, make sure you book regular appointments with your dentist for cleanings every 6-12 months, as they are crucial to preventing gum disease. Not only will they clean your mouth thoroughly, but they’ll also detect any possible warning signs of an infection early. Sticking with your dental appointments is especially important if you run higher risks of developing periodontal disease.
Start Your Prevention Today!
If you think you are showing periodontal disease symptoms or simply want to start taking action and prevent it from happening, contact us today! Our experts will know what services are best for you and your case.