Periodontitis And Perio Treatment - DentalChat

Millions of adults in the US have gum disease - from gingivitis to a more severe form of gum disease called periodontitis. We will be Periodontitis Blogging and discussing severe gum disease in this Perio Dentist Blog. Periodontal disease can not only affect your teeth, but one's overall health.

 One of the most common reasons why adults lose their teeth

​One of the most common reasons adults lose their teeth is from Periodontitis disease.  In this Dental Chat article, we will be discussing severe gum problems (Periodontitis) and periodontist treatment options.

Periodontitis is a severe gum infection which attacks the soft tissues and damages the oral jaw bone that gives support to teeth & maintains healthy gum / bone structure. If this type of perio disease is not properly handled or taken care of, it may lead to loss of the tooth or the teeth may become loose (teeth mobility). It is the most common gum diseases but it is curable. It can result from poor oral hygiene or personal hygiene to the teeth, as well as from medical conditions.

Taking care of the teeth by brushing twice in a day, flossing and also seeing the dental for checkups regularly can improve the chances of treating periodontitis and even prevent developing it.

Periodontitis Symptoms And Major Gum Disease 

Here are the Dental Symptoms, what to look for?

Identifying healthy gums on a patient is fairly simple -  generally, the gums look pale pink, be fairly firm and tightly fit snuggly around the teeth.  Generally, see little to no plaque build up in the mouth.

 Periodontitis can be easily identified by dentists as well  Dentists or periodontists will usually see large pockets, gum inflammation and various periodontitis symptoms. 

First and foremost, dentists look to see if the patients gums have inflammation around them, and ask the patient if the gums bleed easily when brushing or flossing.

Here are some signs of periodontitis -

• Bright red, dusky red or purplish gums

• Bad breath

• Painful chewing

• Swollen or puffy gums

• Gums that bleed easily

• Gums that feel tender when touched

• Look for new spaces developing between your teeth.

• A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite

• Gums that pull away from your teeth (recede), making your teeth look longer than normal

• Pus between your teeth and gums

• Loose teeth

 Loose Teeth 

If a patient has loose teeth in their mouth, most likely it is from periodontal disease.  The exception is when getting braces or orthodontic treatment - when orthodontist are actually trying to move teeth.  Other than that, if teeth are mobile and wobbly inside the mouth - then most likely that is from periodontitis.  These patients should see a dentist or periodontist to get their teeth checked.

Periodontal Categories And Various levels of Gum Disease

There are different categories of periodontitis. The most occurring type of periodontitis is a category which is usually termed as Chronic Periodontitis - this is the most occurring type of periodontal disease or perio illness. It is primarily or usually found in adults,  though that does not mean children are not affected.

That is, it can occur in youngsters as well. This type is usually caused by overtime buildup of infections. Chronic Periodontitis usually occurs slowly and generally will over time get worse. This type of perio disease causes severe damage to the gum, teeth and bone of the mouth - which may cause of bone loss and loss of teeth, if not treated.

Another type of perio disease is Aggressive Periodontitis, which usually begins in childhood or early adulthood.  This type of period disease usually affects a smaller number of people. It tends to affect families and causes rapid progression of bone and tooth loss if untreated.

Necrotizing periodontal disease is usually featured with the death of the gum tissues, supporting bone and the tooth ligament.  Necrotizing periodontal disease usually happens because there is no supply of blood to all these parts of the mouth. This is usually found in people with immune system conditions, such as being immunosuppressed with ailments that may include HIV patients, cancer patients and various other conditions.

Finding a Local Dentist 

Most time dentists have their own schedule for checkup hour. If there are any signs of periodontitis notice in your teeth, make sure you see a dentist as soon as you can.  The earlier you take care of your teeth > the better the chance of success or at least reducing the speed of illness & taking care of any disease. At an early stage, can better try to prevent damage and reverting the damages done by periodontitis.  The longer Periodontitis has been around in the mouth, the more damage to the jaw bone and teeth it has probably caused.

Major Causes of Periodontitis

The first sign you will notice from periodontitis is plaque build up. Plaque generally starts with a sticky film which is made of bacteria and food that one eats. If good home dental care / good oral hygiene and attention is not given to it, the plaque can build up fairly rapidly.  

The plaque starts to build when the bacteria in the mouth form a reaction with sugar and starches in your mouth. This can be avoided by making sure you brush your teeth at least twice in a day and flossing once a day.  This can help to remove plaque, though they can reform quickly.

If plaque is allowed to stay in the mouth and not cleaned, then this plaque can calcify and become what is called calculus. The most difficult to remove is the one found under the tartar. So it means the liner you have the plague on your teeth the more destruction it will affect your teeth. This tartar can be removed by flossing and brushing your teeth regularly. To get rid of this, you need to see a dentist to do prophy (cleaning) and if have a lot of plaque build-up under the gums, will need to do a scaling and root planing.

Gingivitis can be caused by plaque which is the mildest state of periodontal diseases. When have inflammation and irritation around the gums of teeth or base of the teeth (gingiva), then this inflammation is generally referred to as Gingivitis. These diseases can be retracted using a professional treatment from the dentist and good oral care and hygiene.

Perio Disease Blogging and Online Periodontal Care Discussion with us - let us now more in detail the gum inflammation that occurs with the periodontal disease. Frequent gum inflammation can also lead to periodontitis, that will eventually start causing large pockets to develop between your gums and teeth that fill with plaque, tartar and bacteria. That is why your dentist or hygienist checks your gum pockets with a probe to measure the area and keep track of what is going on in your mouth. In time, these pockets become deeper, filling with more bacteria. If not treated, these deep infections cause a loss of tissue and bone, and ultimately you may lose one or more teeth. Also, ongoing chronic inflammation can put a strain on your immune system.

Periodontitis Causes Blog &  Periodontitis Information Online - Risk factors that can cause Periodontitis

Here are some of the possible risk factors that can increase your periodontitis:

Gingivitis that keeps progressing -

Older age -

Poor oral health habits -

Obesity & Diabetes -

Smoking or chewing tobacco -

Certain medications that cause dry mouth or gum changes

Hormonal changes, such as those related to pregnancy or menopause -

Substance abuse -

Inadequate nutrition, including vitamin C deficiency -

Genetics -

Certain diseases, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease -

Conditions that cause decreased immunity, such as leukemia, HIV/AIDS and cancer treatment -

 Periodontal Disease affect your overall health?

Yes, Periodontitis can lead to poor overall health, if not treated and kept under control.  Periodontitis can lead to decay and loss of teeth, as well as bone loss in the jaw. Research has demonstrated that bacteria which causes Periodontitis can gain entrance into your bloodstream through gum tissues in the mouth, which may affect your lungs, and your heart functionality. Hence, perio disease is not good for your overall health.  Also, Periodontitis is associated with a respiratory disorder, coronary artery diseases / stroke, rheumatoid arthritis and other medical problems.  Hence, good idea to treat perio diseases as soon as possible.

Prevention of Periodontitis / Getting Regular Dental Prophy & Dental Exam:

Having good oral hygiene is a great way of trying to avoid Periodontitis or period problems. Treating Periodontitis is not easy, it is best to maintain good oral health care regimens, to try to avoid gum problems.  Going and seeing a dentist for a prophy / dental exam usually once every 6 months is a great way of trying to avoid bad gums problems.

Oral Hygiene Recommendations:

Brushing and flossing daily - as well as getting proper dental care at a dental office. Proper tooth brushing is highly recommended. It is generally recommended to brush your teeth twice a day for approximately 2 minutes if needed - generally, good idea to brush your teeth in the morning and before going to bed. You should also try to floss at least once in a day or possibly more, if have deep gum pockets. It is generally advisable to floss Before you brush because this helps to loosen food particles from your oral cavity.

 Dental Prophy Blog and Dental Cleanings Discussion:

Visit the dentist / dental office - As we mentioned earlier in this article, get a dental prophy and dental checkup of your teeth and mouth, usually twice a year. Your dentist or dental hygienist will not only do a prophy (dental cleaning), but will also do probing of your gums.  This probing of gums, is to see or check the overall health of your mouth.

Deep pockets are generally not a good sign while having within normal limit gum pockets is a good sign that your teeth are healthy. Also, dental xrays may or may not be needed. This is another tool that dentists use to check for healthy gums and make sure do not have major gum disease.  Here is an interesting dental article on DentalChat - Local Dental Implants Chat and Online Dental Implant Placement Information.

 Periodontal Discussion And Perio Treatment 

Severe gum disease called periodontitis is important to understand and treat. Periodontal Dentist Chat online about periodontitis.  We are looking to provide great periodontal care information with us.  Blogging about Oral Care, Discussing Oral Hygiene, Online Periodontal Treatment Chat with us and Perio Disease Chatting online - as well as discussing various other dental topics at Dental Chat.  We welcome people asking us Dental Questions at DentalChat.  We are @ Dental Chat networking with dental health care professionals.