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Everything you need to know about Periodontitis, Periodontal Disease, Gingivitis and its causes, Risk Factors, Treatments in a three-part series

Part 1: What is periodontitis and how to identify it in early stages?

Part 2: Causes and prevention of periodontitis

Part 3: Risk Factors and Treatments

Conclusion at the end of this three part series you will be able to analyze the risk factors associated with periodontitis and be able to prevent it from causing further damage.

Introduction to Periodontal Disease

Gum Diseases are also known as Periodontitis and it is quite a common disease in which gums become swollen or inflamed.  It takes the form of swelling, redness, bleeding while brushing your teeth, that’s how patient’s gums respond to the bacteria that infects the teeth. If left without any treatments then they can cause serious damage to the teeth. The swelling can spread below the gums to the roots of the teeth causing destruction to periodontal alignment and the supporting bones and eventually leads to the loss of the potential tooth.

What is Periodontitis?

Periodontitis or periodontal disease is inflammation or swelling of the gums and supporting bones of the teeth. It is one of the most common human diseases.

Early Periodontal Disease or Gingivitis

Periodontitis in its early stages is also called as Gingivitis it is caused by bacteria infecting your gums. The bacteria is known as periodontal bacteria and by the local swelling triggered by those foreign bacteria. You will be surprised to know that these periodontal bacteria are present in the mouth naturally; they are harmful when they dramatically start multiplying and show a substantial increase in the number. This might happen due to multiple reasons. The most common reason is when a layer of food remains, also known as plaque, builds up and is left intact on the teeth, interacts with the bacteria and gets settled in an area which is hard to reach by the toothbrush.

Thus the bacteria become more harmful and thrive to multiply rigorously in-turn creating more harmful by-products which nullify the defensive response in the gums. In the latter stages of the disease progress, more chronic selling or inflammation efforts the bone jaw which can be destroyed completely and teeth can be lost.

In most of the people this process takes places over many years and if detected in the earlier stages it can be halted and treated accordingly. Having said that in some cases the periodontal bacteria is very active and causes the loss of teeth very early than assumed.

How do I recognize Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease begins with the swelling of gums, it is also known as gingivitis. It is not that simple to recognize but initial signs are listed below

  • Bleeding from gums while brushing your teeth
  • Bad breath that doesn’t go away easily
  • Red swollen gums and discolored layer of plaque on the teeth
  • Painful chewing

If you witness any of these symptoms then consult your dentist, if left untreated, gingivitis will grow more serious concerns without any signs to alert you further.

Bleeding from the gums may not be noticed if you are into smoking tobacco, its due to an effect of nicotine on blood vessels.

Successful periodontist treatment requires full co-operation of patients with regards to daily oral hygiene practices and regular follow-up appointments at Ankura Dental Hospital

By

Dr Andaleeb Zaidi

Ankura Dental – Best Dental Clinic in Hyderabad

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