What is
Periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease is the disease of the tooth supporting tissue.
The main cause of periodontal disease (gum disease) is bacterial plaque.
If periodontal disease is left untreated it could damage the gum and the
bone that supports your teeth; this can lead to premature tooth loss and gum
recession and other complications.
Some warning signs of periodontal disease include: bad breath or bad taste,
root exposure (long in the tooth), gums that bleed when brushing or
flossing, swollen or tender gums, red gums, spaces that develop between
teeth, pus or sores in your mouth, a change in your bite.
According to the American Academy of Periodontology, the following are the
factors that contribute to gum problems:
www.Perio.org
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Poor Oral
Hygiene
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Smoking
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Diabetes
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Genetics
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Stress
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Some Medications
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Teeth grinding
Periodontal disease includes many oral diseases that lead to loss of the
supporting structure that hold the teeth in place. Most people do not know
that they have this serious disease because it usually does not hurt until
the end stages. It is often too late at that point to save the teeth.
There have also been
some new evidence that shows relations between heart disease and gum
problems. Also pregnancy complications have been linked to the existence of
gum infection.
Periodontal Disease and Other Diseases
Normally inflammation serves to protect us and to begin a process of repair.
However, chronic inflammation, like that experienced with periodontal
disease, results in a dysfunctional cycle of tissue destruction.
Inflammatory chemicals are released into the bloodstream and appear to
influence multiple sites in the body. The American Academy of Periodontology
(AAP) www.perio.org lists reference sources that describe associations
between periodontal diseases and health concerns related to: pregnancy
complications, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, obesity, arthritis,
Alzheimer’s disease, and kidney disease. The list continues to grow.
People that do not have control of their diabetes are more at risk of
developing periodontal disease. Untreated periodontal disease makes blood
sugar control more difficult to manage. This relationship appears to work
from both directions and both diabetes and periodontal disease should be
managed concurrently with continued follow up.
For many years dentists have used antibiotics prior to dental treatment for
people with certain heart conditions. The heart valves in these individuals
can become infected with oral bacteria resulting in infective endocarditis.
Most people do not need this precaution. Your periodontist and cardiologist
can determine if it is in your best interest to pre-medicate.
Currently researchers have found that if a person has periodontal disease
they are almost twice as likely to suffer with coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease is associated with a thickening of the walls of the
coronary arteries by fatty proteins. It may be that bacteria that causes
periodontal disease enters the blood stream and increases clot formation in
blood vessels, reducing blood flow. It has been suggested that inflammatory
mediators that are released into the bloodstream during periodontal disease
contribute to arterial plaque build up. Perhaps both of the bacteria and the
inflammatory mediators are involved. You should make a periodontal
evaluation and necessary treatment part of your comprehensive care.