What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease is the infection of hard and soft tissues around teeth. The main reason is plaque accumulation which is consisting of bacteria on teeth and turn into calculus by calcification. The early stages are called “gingivitis” and it is characterized by gingival inflammation and bleeding while brushing and flossing. Gingivitis is reversible and it can be treated by good oral hygiene and professional treatment. When gingivitis is not treated, it will develop “periodontitis” which is characterized with deep plaque and calculus accumulation under gums to cause inflammation and irritation, eventually it’ll form pathological pockets between gums and teeth. Those pockets will become deeper and the supporting bone structure will be lost if periodontitis advances and at the end, if it is left untreated it leads to tooth loss.
How to diagnose periodontal disease?
Main symptoms for periodontal disease are,
1-Bleeding on gums while brushing and/or eating.
2-Teeth mobility on late stages.
3-Gingival recession and elongation of the visible parts of teeth.
In maintainance sessions, you can hear numbers and can see them being noted on periodontal chart as your periodontal probing by your dentist or dental hygienist and it is part of periodontal examination. Bleeding on probing and/or pockets deeper than 4 mm is the main syptom(s) for diagnose of gingivitis and periodontitis.
What can your dentist suggest about periodontal disease?
General practitioner can treat your periodontal disease or consult you to a periodontist, who is a specialist for the treatment and maintenance of surrounding soft and hard tissues around teeth.
Periodontist can suggest non-surgical treatment which is cleaning of deeply located debris and elimination of infected and necrotic root surface, also known as “deep cleaning”. Surgical treatment is considered when non-surgical therapy is not enough and/or the amount of bone loss is too much. Surgical therapy consists of surgical reflection of gingiva, elimination of calculus, plaque, microbial debris and underlying infected tissues and suturing at the end.
What happens after the treatment of periodontal disease?
The periodontist will plan “maintenance therapy” sessions on regular basis to prevent periodontal disease from recurring and those maintenance sessions are the key factor of preventive treatment.
Can periodontal disease cause other health issues outside of the mouth?
Yes. Intraoral bacteria are related to “endocarditis” (heart valve infection) and organ transplant infections. Researches have found out that periodontal disease is correlated to,
Increased risk of heart attack,
Increased premature birth,
Increased low birth weight,
Increased difficulty of controlling blood glucose levels in diabetes patients.
References: Turkish Society of Periodontology, American Academy of Periodontology