Periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis are serious gum diseases, which left untreated, can lead to loss of the affected teeth. The word “periodontal” means in terms of dental “around the tooth”, the area around the tooth. Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection that affects the gums and bone where the tooth is fixed. Periodontal disease can affect one or more tooth. The starting point is the plaque on the tooth surface. Accumulation of plaque due to improper hygiene quickly lead to the first form of damage to the marginal periodontium (tissue supporting the teeth) – gingivitis.
In the mildest form of periodontal disease, gingivitis, the gums turn red, swell and bleed easily. The most common cause of gingivitis is the poor hygiene.
This form of periodontal disease is reversible with proper dental treatment and with very good oral hygiene .
Untreated gingivitis can lead to acute periodontitis .
Over time, plaque will cover the entire surface of the tooth and towards the root; toxins produced by bacterial plaque irritate the gums continuously; these toxins stimulate a chronic inflammatory response in the body, and the tissues and the bone around the tooth (tooth holder representing jawbone) are destroyed. Gums separate from the teeth, forming periodontal pockets (spaces between the teeth and bone), which in time will become infected. As the disease progresses, the periodontal pockets deepen and the bone and the periodontal tissues are destroyed. This is the chronic form of periodontitis. Typically, this phase of the disease, has no painful clinical signs. The tooth will gain mobility and has to be extracted.
Types of periodontal disease:
There are many forms of periodontal diseases according to severity:
Gingivitis: the mildest form of periodontal disease: gums turns red, swell, bleed easily to pressure. The form is reversible after scaling, professional cleaning, gum treatment and maintaining rigorous hygiene.
Marginal acute periodontitis: occurrence of periodontal pockets.
Chronic periodontitis: advanced mobility of the tooth.
Treatment of periodontal diseases
If you have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, there are different types of treatment depending on the stage of the disease. There are surgical and non-surgical procedures:
– Scaling, brushing, gum treatment, over- and undergingival curettage, addition of soft tissue (gum) and / or bone tissue.
Periodontal treatment aims firstly removing the root cause of disease producing: the plaque and the accumulated granulation tissue at the root, all these with a minimum traumatic activity for the patient – scaling. Follows the professional cleaning, if applicable, the tissue curettage, the gum treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicines.
These maneuvers are performed in our dental practice PAINLESS and at reasonable costs.
We also recommend regular checks of patients – 6 months and annual prophylaxis: scaling, brushing, treatment of periodontal gum to prevent damage.
