Periodontitis, often known as gum disease, is a dangerous gum infection that affects soft tissue and can ruin the bone that supports your teeth if left untreated. Periodontitis can cause tooth loosening or tooth loss.
Periodontitis is prevalent, yet it is mostly avoidable. It is mainly caused by inadequate dental hygiene. Brushing at least twice a day, flossing daily, and having frequent dental exams will greatly improve your chances of effective periodontitis treatment and minimize your risk of developing it.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PERIODONTITIS?
Gums that are healthy are firm, light pink, and fit tightly around teeth. Periodontitis can cause the following signs and symptoms:
- Gums that are swollen or bulging
- Gums that are bright red, dark red, or purple in color
- Gums that are sensitive to the touch
- Breath that stinks
- Pus between your teeth and gums.
- Loose teeth or tooth loss
- Chewing is painful.
- Gums that easily bleed
- Brushing with a pink-tinged toothbrush
- When cleaning or flossing your teeth, you may vomit blood.
- New gaps are forming between your teeth.
- Gums that pull away from your teeth (recede), giving the appearance that your teeth are longer than they are.
- A difference in how your teeth fit together when you bite
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF PERIODONTITIS?
Plaque, a sticky coating made primarily of bacteria, is the most common cause of periodontitis. If left untreated, plaque can progress to periodontitis as follows:
- Plaque builds on your teeth when carbohydrates and sugars in your diet mix with microorganisms in your mouth. Plaque is removed by brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day, but plaque quickly re-forms.
- If plaque remains on your teeth, it can solidify under your gumline into tartar (calculus). Tartar is more harder to remove and contains microorganisms. The longer plaque and tartar are allowed to accumulate on your teeth, the more harm they can do. Tartar cannot be removed by brushing and flossing; instead, a professional tooth cleaning is required.
- Gingivitis, the mildest type of gum disease, can be caused by plaque. Gingivitis is an inflammation and irritation of the gum tissue surrounding the base of your teeth (gingiva). Professional therapy and appropriate home dental care can reverse gingivitis.
- Ongoing chewing gum Periodontitis is caused by inflammation, which leads to the formation of pockets between your gums and teeth that fill with plaque, tartar, and germs. These pockets grow deeper with time, filled with additional germs. If left untreated, these deep infections cause tissue and bone loss, and you may eventually lose one or more teeth. In addition, prolonged chronic inflammation might tax your immune system.
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR PERIODONTITIS?
The following factors can raise your risk of periodontitis:
- Gingivitis
- Poor oral hygiene habits
- Obesity
- Tobacco use, whether smoking or chewing
- Inadequate nutrition, especially a lack of vitamin C
- Genetics
- Some drugs produce dry mouth or gum changes.
- Immune-lowering conditions, such as leukemia, HIV/AIDS, and cancer therapy
- Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease are examples of such disorders.
- Hormonal fluctuations, such as those associated with pregnancy or menopause
- Recreational drug usage, such as marijuana smoking or vaping
WHAT ARE THE COMPLICATIONS OF PERIODONTITIS?
Periodontitis can result in tooth loss. Periodontitis bacteria can enter your circulation through gum tissue and potentially impact other areas of your body. Periodontitis, for example, has been associated to respiratory illness, rheumatoid arthritis, coronary artery disease, and blood sugar management issues in diabetics.
HOW IS PERIODONTITIS DIAGNOSED?
Your dentist may do the following tests to assess whether you have periodontitis and how severe it is:
- Examine your medical history for any variables that may be causing your symptoms, such as smoking or using drugs that cause dry mouth.
- Examine your mouth for plaque and tartar accumulation, as well as simple bleeding.
- Place a dental probe next your tooth beneath your gumline, generally at numerous locations around your mouth, to measure the pocket depth of the groove between your gums and teeth. The pocket depth in a healthy mouth is normally between 1 and 3 millimeters (mm). Pockets deeper than 4 mm may suggest periodontitis. Pockets deeper than 5 mm cannot be cleaned successfully.
- Check for bone loss using dental X-rays in locations where your dentist notices deeper pocket depths.
Periodontitis may be classified into stages and grades by your dentist depending on the severity of the illness, the difficulty of treatment, your risk factors, and your overall health.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS FOR PERIODONTITIS?
A periodontist, dentist, or dental hygienist may provide treatment. Periodontitis therapy aims to properly clean the pockets around teeth and protect the surrounding bone. You have the highest chance of success if you also practice proper oral hygiene on a regular basis, address any health concerns that may affect your dental health, and quit smoking.
Nonsurgical treatments
If periodontitis is not progressed, therapy may include of less invasive treatments such as:
- Scaling: Scaling eliminates tartar and germs from the surfaces of your teeth and behind your gums. It might be done with instruments, a laser, or an ultrasonic device.
- Root planing: Root planing smoothes the root surfaces, inhibiting future tartar and bacteria formation, and eliminates bacterial byproducts that cause to irritation and impede gum healing or reattachment to the tooth surfaces.
- Antibiotics: Bacterial infections can be treated with topical or oral antibiotics. Topical antibiotics can include antibiotic mouth rinses or the placement of antibiotic-containing gels between your teeth and gums or into pockets following extensive cleaning. Oral antibiotics, on the other hand, may be required to entirely remove infection-causing germs.
Surgical treatments
If you have severe periodontitis, you may require dental surgery, such as:
- Flap surgery (pocket reduction surgery): Your periodontist will make microscopic incisions in your gums to pull back a portion of gum tissue, exposing the roots for more effective scaling and root planing. Because periodontitis frequently results in bone loss, the underlying bone may be recontoured prior to suturing the gum tissue back in place. Once you've healed, cleaning these areas and maintaining healthy gum tissue will be much easier.
- Bone grafting: When periodontitis has damaged the bone around your tooth root, this surgery is used. The graft might be made of tiny fragments of your own bone, or it could be synthetic or donated bone. By anchoring your tooth in place, the bone transplant helps to avoid tooth loss. It also serves as a platform for natural bone rebuilding.
- Soft tissue grafts: Your gumline recedes as you lose gum tissue. Some of the damaged soft tissue may require reinforcement. This is often accomplished by removing a tiny piece of tissue from the roof of your mouth (palate) or utilizing tissue from another donor source and affixing it to the damaged spot. This can assist to prevent additional gum recession, conceal exposed roots, and improve the look of your teeth.
- Guided tissue regeneration: This enables for the regeneration of bone that has been damaged by germs. In one method, your dentist will sandwich a biocompatible fabric between your existing bone and your tooth. The substance keeps undesirable tissue out of the healing region, enabling bone to regrow instead.
- Proteins that stimulate tissue: Another method is to apply a specific gel to a sick tooth root. This gel includes the same proteins present in tooth enamel development and promotes the creation of healthy bone and tissue.
HOME REMEDIES FOR PERIODONTITIS
To minimize or prevent periodontitis, use the following measures:
- Brush your teeth twice a day, preferably after each meal or snack.
- Replace your toothbrush at least every three months with a gentle one.
- Floss every day.
- Consider using an electric toothbrush to remove plaque and tartar more effectively.
- If your dentist recommends it, use a mouth rinse to help eliminate plaque between your teeth.
- Brushing and flossing should be supplemented with an interdental cleaner, such as a dental pick, interdental brush, or dental stick developed specifically to clean between your teeth.
- Get expert teeth cleanings on a regular basis, as prescribed by your dentist.
- You should not smoke or chew tobacco.
HOW CAN PERIODONTITIS BE PREVENTED?
The greatest strategy to avoid periodontitis is to practice proper dental hygiene from a young age and continue to do so throughout your life.
- Good oral hygiene: This includes cleaning your teeth for two minutes at least twice a day — in the morning and before night — and flossing once a day. Flossing prior to brushing aids in the removal of loosened food particles and bacteria. Good dental hygiene keeps the environment surrounding your teeth from becoming hospitable to the germs that cause periodontal disease.
- Regular dental checkups: Cleanings should be done on a regular basis, generally every six to twelve months, by your dentist or dental hygienist. If you have risk factors for periodontitis, including as dry mouth, using certain drugs, or smoking, you may require expert cleaning more frequently.