Periodontal Disease

What is Peri­odon­tal Dis­ease, and What Causes It?

Peri­odon­tal dis­eases are seri­ous bac­te­r­ial infec­tions of the gums and bone which grad­u­ally destroy the bone sup­port of your nat­ural teeth. This dis­ease dam­ages the teeth, gum and jaw­bone of more than 80% of peo­ple by the age of 45.

Most com­mon forms of peri­odon­tal dis­ease are silent destroy­ers of gum and bone as pain is typ­i­cally absent. Some­times the only way to detect peri­odon­tal dis­ease is through a peri­odon­tal evaluation.

Den­tal plaque is the pri­mary cause of gum dis­ease. Bac­te­ria found in plaque pro­duce tox­ins or poi­sons which irri­tate the gums. They may cause them to turn red, swell and bleed eas­ily. If this irri­ta­tion is pro­longed, the gums sep­a­rate from the teeth, caus­ing pock­ets (spaces) to form. Plaque can also harden into a rough, porous sub­stance known as cal­cu­lus or tar­tar. Cal­cu­lus or tar­tar can form both above and below the gum line.

As peri­odon­tal dis­eases progress, the sup­port­ing gum tis­sue and bone that holds teeth in place dete­ri­o­rate. If left untreated, this leads to tooth loss. How­ever, don’t be fooled! With peri­odon­tal dis­ease, bleed­ing, red­ness and swelling do not have to be present. Pain is also usu­ally not asso­ci­ated with peri­odon­tal disease.

About Periodontal Disease

What are some of the impor­tant warn­ing signs and risks of Peri­odon­tal Disease?

• Gums that bleed eas­ily, espe­cially dur­ing brush­ing or flossing
• Red, swollen or ten­der gums
• Gums that have pulled away from the teeth
• Per­sis­tent bad breath
• Pus between the teeth and gums
• Loose or sep­a­rat­ing teeth
• A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite    
  Hav­ing heart dis­ease, dia­betes, res­pi­ra­tory dis­ease or osteo­poro­sis. Ongo­ing research is show­ing that untreated active peri­odon­tal dis­ease is an asso­ci­ated risk fac­tor for these con­di­tions. The bac­te­ria asso­ci­ated with peri­odon­tal dis­ease can travel in the blood­stream and pose a threat to other parts of the body. Healthy gums can lead to a health­ier body.
• Smok­ing. The more the smok­ing the more the risk. If you smoke or use tobacco, you are twice as likely to have peri­odon­tal dis­ease and not know it. Smok­ing decreases blood flow to the gums and often reduces the warn­ing signs of bleed­ing gums as well as the results of treatment.
• Poor nutri­tion, stress, puberty or preg­nancy can increase the risk of gum inflammation.

Tak­ing Action Against Peri­odon­tal Disease

Peri­odon­tal dis­ease is a seri­ous con­di­tion that can wreak havoc on your oral health and increase your risk to other asso­ci­ated med­ical con­di­tions. Pre­vent­ing peri­odon­tal gum dis­ease and main­tain­ing excel­lent oral hygiene are your best defenses against the onset of peri­odon­tal disease.

If you sus­pect you may be suf­fer­ing from peri­odon­tal dis­ease, talk to your den­tist or con­tact our office for more infor­ma­tion on an appro­pri­ate course of action.