Periodontal disease results from infections and inflammation of becomes and bone surrounding and supporting the teeth. Periodontal disease affects 42.7 percent of adults over 30, but the infection increases with age affecting 70.1 percent of the US population aged 65 and over. Men are more susceptible to this problem than women, with people living below the poverty line and without formal education and smokers contributing significantly to the number of people affected by periodontal disease.
Stages of Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease starts as inflammation of the gums and worsens with time. The different stages of periodontal disease are as follows:
- Gingivitis: periodontal disease starts with inflammation in the gums called gingivitis. Your gums start bleeding when brushing and flossing your teeth, as they are the first symptoms of the condition. Discoloration of your teeth might also occur from dental plaque buildup of food debris and bacteria on your teeth. Although bacteria are present in your mouth, they become harmful when the environment within helps them increase dramatically. You allow the bacteria to multiply when you neglect to brush and floss.
- Early Periodontal Disease: in the initial stages of advanced periodontitis, your gums start pulling away from your teeth, causing the formation of small pockets between your teeth and gums. The pockets are convenient to harbor harmful mouth bacteria and make your gums start receding when your immune system starts fighting the infection. Besides bleeding when brushing and flossing, you might also experience bone loss.
- Moderate Periodontal Disease: if you leave the condition untreated, you develop moderate periodontal disease experiencing bleeding and pain around your teeth and gum recession. Your teeth will experience loss of bone support to become loose. The infection also leads to an inflammatory response throughout your body.
- Advanced Periodontal Disease: with advanced periodontal disease, the connective tissue holding your teeth in position starts deteriorating, and the destruction of the gums, bones and other tissue occurs. When you have advanced periodontitis, you experience severe pain when chewing, harsh lousy breath, and an awful taste in your mouth besides tooth loss.
The Long-Term Risk of Untreated Periodontal Disease
The long-term risks of untreated periodontal disease are not positive and will likely leave you saddled with anxiety and expenditure seeking treatments for the condition in your mouth. Besides getting more frequent dental cleanings, you might also become a victim of intensive therapies such as gum grafts and bone grafts to augment lost bone. In addition, you must continue maintaining the condition for life because dentists do not have a cure for untreated periodontitis.
Causes of Periodontal Disease
The primary reason for periodontal disease is neglect to brush and floss your teeth every day, helping your mouth bacteria to grow and multiply on your teeth. Periodontal disease develops with poor dental hygiene; when you don’t clean your teeth from the difficult-to-reach places in the mouth, allowing the bacteria to multiply to form a substance called dental plaque on your teeth. Non-removal of dental plaque by brushing hardens it into tartar within 48 hours and encourages additional bacterial growth near the tooth root. The immune system of your body reacts to the bacterial growth leading to inflammation of your gums to display periodontal disease symptoms.
Over time the attachment of the gum to the tooth root gets disrupted, and periodontal pockets form between the gums and root. It encourages harmful anaerobic bacteria to populate in the pockets and multiply to release toxins that damage the gums, teeth and supporting structures of the bone. Therefore when you experience the symptoms of this infection, you must consult the dentist near you for a remedy to the problem to ensure it doesn’t become a lifelong companion.
Periodontal Disease Treatments
Dentists have different treatments for periodontal disease that help maintain and manage the condition. Unfortunately, no cure is available for advanced periodontitis, making it a lifelong partner if you leave the infection untreated in the mouth. Some treatments for periodontal disease include modifying your oral hygiene practices, professional cleanings, antibiotics, regular dental appointments, and surgery to replace lost bone or repair gum tissue.
Periodontal disease is best stopped in its tracks and treated early before it progresses to advanced stages. If you have periodontal disease, you must remain in constant touch with your dentist to ensure the condition doesn’t progress. In addition, you must change your dental hygiene practices and follow your dentist’s instructions for positive outcomes. Besides your dentist’s ongoing assessment, your efforts with oral hygiene practices determine this condition’s long-term outlook. Therefore you must prepare for the worst if you have periodontal disease.
If you notice the symptoms of periodontal disease, consult with Family Dental Care — Oak Lawn to ensure the infection is detected and treated early before it progresses to an advanced stage. Consult with the practice immediately to prevent the progress of the disease from becoming your lifelong companion.
