Gum Disease

Periodontitis is simply inflammation of the gums and the supporting bone (alveolar bone) surrounding the teeth. It is a very serious infection that can lead to lasting damage to the tissues causing the alveolar bone around the teeth to slowly be lost.

Causes of Periodontitis

Periodontitis often begins with the build up of plaque on the teeth. Plaque is the sticky substance that forms from the sugars and starches in food and the bacteria present in your mouth. Regular brushing removes plaque from your teeth but it reforms quickly – at various rates depending on diet and intake but within 24 hours.

Plaque that remains on your teeth for an extended period can turn into a hard substance called calculus. Calculus creates a bed for bacteria to grow on and can irritate your gum line. Hardened calculus cannot be removed simply by brushing and requires dental treatment to remove. It also makes the periodontal condition much worse by impeding effective cleaning.

Inflammation caused by the build up of plaque and calculus causes gaps to appear between the gum line and the teeth. These gaps or pockets then fill with further deposits of plaque, calculus and bacteria.

The bacteria in your mouth release endotoxins which also causes irritation of the gums. It's common symptoms are bleeding gums, tooth mobility, gum recession, bad breath and occasionally suppuration (pus) around the gums.
Left unchecked these pockets grow and begin to wear away your gum tissue and eventually your bone. If too much bone is lost then teeth can become loose, dislodged and eventually fall out.

Risk Factors

There are a wide number of contributing factors that can cause periodontitis. The most common are lack of proper oral hygiene, poor diet and smoking. Smoking increases periodontitis by an enhanced factor of over 7 times. There are also a number of other potential risks that can lead to worsening periodontitis including genetic factors,stress, lowered immune system as the result of other medical treatment, age, diabetes and certain medications.

Effects of Periodontitis

The most common result of untreated periodontitis is tooth loss. However periodontitis has also been linked to a number of other afflictions including strokes, respiratory problems and coronary artery disease (Angina and Heart attacks) – as the bacteria in your gum line can potentially enter the bloodstream and travel to other areas of the body. It can also significantly worsen diabetic control.

Treatment

If treated in its early stages periodontitis can be easily treated. The most common treatments will involve deep cleaning of the teeth to remove plaque, calculus and empty the gum pockets of bacteria. After treatment you will need to maintain a strong oral hygiene routine to prevent reoccurrence. In severe cases surgery may be required to more thoroughly clean out pockets. If untreated you may also require dental implants to replace teeth lost from periodontitis.http://www.londonroaddental.co.uk