When the topic is about oral health, we can’t compromise as our gums are one of the most critical elements in a healthy mouth. Periodontitis, also referred to as gum disease, is an ordinary condition in which the gums, as well as deeper periodontal structures, become aroused.

1. Periodontitis-You Need To Take Care Of This
Dental Disease
When the topic is about oral health, we can’t compromise as our gums are one of
the most critical elements in a healthy mouth. Periodontitis, also referred to as gum
disease, is an ordinary condition in which the gums, as well as deeper periodontal
structures, become aroused.
What Is Periodontitis?

2. This dental condition is considered as a serious infection of the gums. It is basically an
inflammation of the gums and assisting structures of the teeth and also considered as
one of the most common human diseases.
The inflammation of gums generally takes the form of swelling, redness and a tendency
to bleed at the time of brushing. It is the response of a person’s body to release bacteria
which have been allowed to accumulate on the teeth. However in parts of the body’s
defense system, this inflammatory response can be responsible for causing deliberate
damage. If left unchecked, the inflammation might spread down along the roots of the
teeth and below the gums, causing the demolition of the periodontal ligaments and the
supporting bone.

3. It is caused by periodontal bacteria that have been allowed to accumulate on both
teeth and gums and the local inflammation triggered by those bacteria. Though
periodontal bacteria are familiar to our mouth as they inherits natural presence. They
will strike with a harmful effect when the conditions are right for them to uplift
dramatically in numbers. It will occur when a layer of food debris and bacteria, called
plaque, gets intensified and is left undisturbed on the teeth, mainly in hard-to-reach
parts like between the teeth.
The more dangerous bacteria get a chance to thrive and multiply, originating some
dangerous by-products that stimulate the defensive inflammatory response of the
body in the gums. As the disease advances, chronic inflammation causes the jaw bone
to be destroyed and the teeth to be lost. This is a gradual process in many people and
takes place over many years and, if detected and treated on time, can be halted.
Though we see some adults have a very alive form of a disease that is responsible for
early loosening and loss of the teeth.

4. Periodontitis Symptoms
Symptoms of periodontitis depends upon the stage of disease, but some general
symptoms include pain at the time of chewing, inflammatory response throughout the
body, tooth loss, receding gums, changes in the position of teeth or loose teeth, gums
that bleed at the time of brushing or flossing, formation of plaque in teeth, foul taste in
the mouth, red, tender, or swollen gums, bad breath, etc. In the early stages, symptoms
aren’t as noticeable. At such cases, a dentist will be the best person to point those signs.

5. Periodontitis Causes
The major and all-time famous cause of periodontitis is the formation of bacteria in the
form of dental plaque. A healthy mouth shares near about 700 different types of bacteria,
out of which most of them are considered as harmless and live with harmony with their
host. By the time when tooth cleaning are not thorough enough, the bacterial deposit
formation next to the gums, forming a plaque. Thus the condition becomes suitable for
more harmful bacteria to prosper.
If the soft bacterial is not ejected by brushing, minerals are located within it over time
and develop as a hard deposit known as plaque. The existence of plaque promotes the
advancement of the bacterial plaque towards the teeth roots. A gap or periodontal
pocket is formed between them and an attachment of the gum to the root is disrupted as
the inflammation progresses.

6. The periodontal pocket is an ideal location for dangerous bacteria to take place and
grow. The bacteria exert toxins as products of their metabolism in their new habitat, that
further trigger the body’s defence mechanisms. The speed and severity of periodontitis’s
progression depend on the balance of a number of factors, like the type and number of
bacteria present, presence, and absence of different risk factors, and how strong the
individual’s defence mechanisms are.
For example, more aggression of the bacteria is responsible for weakening the immune
response of the patient, and the disease will be more active. Even different types of
drugs like vasodilating agents or antihypertensive and immunotherapy affect the
inflammatory response to plaque and make patients more susceptible towards gingivitis.
Though, it is crucial to recognize that without the accumulation of bacterial plaque,
periodontitis will not happen. There are some risk factors mentioned below regarding
periodontitis.

7. Risk Factors of Periodontitis
Well-known risk factors include some systematic diseases like diabetes, stress and most
importantly smoking. Smokers are more likely to encourage periodontitis in themselves
as compared to the non-smokers. This dental disease progresses much faster, with more
rapid tooth loss in smokers. Even the treatments of this dental problem like gum/bone
graft and implant prove to be less successful in smokers due to poorer healing.

8. Consequences Of Periodontitis
It is claimed to be the leading cause of tooth loss. If the progress of inflammation of
periodontitis is not halted, the supporting structures of the teeth, including the
surrounding bone gets destroyed. With this process, the teeth eventually get loosen and
may be lost, or need extraction. Some other problems that a patient may experience
contain drifting of the teeth that may interface with eating, unsightly lengthening of the
teeth with exposure of the roots, and painful abscess, as a result of gum recession.

9. With the help of these things, we can understand that untreated periodontal diseases
can lead to creating effects on general health. Like it pose an increased risk for
complications at the time of pregnancy (low-birth-weight, premature birth or pre-
eclampsia). In addition, there might be an increased risk of heart diseases and
diabetes.

10. Periodontal Disease Stages
This disease has been distributed in different types of stages like early, moderate and
advanced periodontal disease. We will try to discuss all of them separately.

11. Early Periodontal Disease
In the initial stages of this dental problem, the gums will recede or will pull away from
the teeth and small pockets develop between gums and teeth. The pockets dock
injurious bacteria. The immune system of the body attempts to fight the infection, and
the gum tissue begins to recede. The person may likely experience bleeding the time of
brushing the teeth or flossing, and possibly some boneless.

12. Moderate Periodontal Disease
This stage lies between early and advanced periodontal disease where a person might
face bleeding and pain around the teeth and gum recession. The teeth will begin to lose
bone support and the infection also lead to an inflammatory response throughout the
body.

13. Advanced Periodontal Disease
In this stage, the connective tissue which grips the teeth in place starts deteriorating.
The gums, other tissues that support the teeth as well as bones are destroyed. If
someone is facing this stage of periodontitis, they might experience severe pain at the
time of chewing, a foul taste in their mouth, or severe bad breath.

14. Periodontitis vs Gingivitis
Periodontitis starts up with inflammation in the gums, called gingivitis. At the time of
brush or floss, if your gums are bleeding, just be prepared because it is one of the initial
signs of gingivitis. However, there is a difference between periodontitis and gingivitis.
Gingivitis happens when the bacteria of mouth promote plaque, a sticky layer that can
make possibilities in increasing the risk to both tooth decay and gum disease. This
promotion causes the gums to bleed and become inflamed at the time of floss or brush.
If left untreated, gingivitis may lead to gum disease.
On the other hand, periodontitis is a type of infection which causes the gum to pull away
and exposing the teeth to germs, leaving them vulnerable. A person who has
periodontitis, the inner layer of the gum and bone pull away from the teeth and develop
pockets. These tiny spaces between gums and teeth amass debris and can become
infected. The immune system of the body fights the bacteria as the plaque grows below
the gum line and spreads. “When gingivitis is left untreated, it can lead towards
periodontitis”.

15. Poisons or toxins, developed by the bacteria in plaque and body’s good enzymes
incorporate in fighting the infections, proceed to break down the connective tissue as
well as bone that hold teeth in place. As the disease advances, the pockets deepen
and give rise to destroying more gum tissue and bone. When it happens, teeth get no
longer anchored in place and become loose, and thus, tooth loss occurs.

16. Periodontitis Treatment
In order to restore periodontal health, it is crucial to remove both plaque and calculus.
Your healthcare professional may carry out scaling and debridement for cleaning the
area below gum-line. This process may take place with the help of hand tools or
ultrasonic device which breaks the calculus and plaque.

17. Numerous medicated mouthwashes and other treatments are available in dentistry
department like antimicrobial mouth rinse, for example, chlorhexidine. It is
implemented to control the bacteria at the time of treating gum disease and after
surgery. A small piece of gelatine known as an antiseptic chip is also there that is filled
with chlorhexidine.
An antibiotic gel can be another option as it controls bacteria and shrinks periodontal
pockets. It contains doxycycline, that is an antibiotic. This gel is kept in the pockets after
root planning and scaling. Enzyme suppressants are also helpful in keeping destructive
enzymes in check with a low-close of doxycycline. Its specialty lies in a fact that some
enzymes can break down gum tissue, but this suppressant can delay the response of
body’s enzymes. Some oral antibiotics are also available in tablet or capsule form, and
they can be taken orally.
If good oral hygiene and non-surgical treatments are not proving to be effective, there
are some surgical intervention that may be needed in some cases. The first option is flap
surgery. It is done to remove calculus in deep pockets. It is also essential to reduce the
pocket so that keeping it cleaned gets easier. The plaque gets removed and gums are
lifted back. After that, the gums are sutured back into their place in order to fit closely
to the tooth. The gums will heal and fit tightly around the tooth after the surgery.

18. Another advanced treatment is bone and tissue grafts. This process is helpful in
regenerating the bone or gum tissue which has been destroyed. New bone, natural or
synthetic, will be placed where the bone was missed in order to promote bone growth.
There is a surgical procedure called guided tissue regeneration (GTR) that opts barrier
membrane to direct growth of gum tissue and new bone at sites where any of them or
both are lacking. This aims to repair defects and regenerate tissues which have resulted
from periodontitis.
A tiny piece of mesh-like material is kept between bone and gum tissue in this
procedure. After doing this, a barrier gets created for the gum to grow into bone
space,that eventually gives a chance for connective tissue as well as a bone to re-
develop. The success of this procedure depends upon how advanced the disease is,
and how well the patient adheres to a good oral hygiene program.

19. Home Remedies
One can lower the risk of developing periodontitis, or any other health-related
complications by keeping up with good oral habits like brushing and flossing daily in
order to remove plaque from both teeth and gums. Try to opt for a suitable toothbrush
as well as toothpaste twice in every twenty-four hours. It is very important to clean
between the teeth or in the spaces where the brush cannot reach as it encourages
bacteria to colonize. Dental floss might clean small gaps, but a dental brush is more
ideal for cleaning larger space.
Try to take extra care at the time of cleaning around uneven surfaces like crooked teeth,
dentures, closely-packed teeth, crowns, fillings, etc. Also, replace your toothbrush in
between 3 to 4 months. Do not share your brush with anyone, as bacteria get a chance
to pass from person to person.