What is periodontitis?
Periodontitis (periodontal disease), in addition to caries, usually leads to tooth loss.
It is a disease of the supporting appliance of the teeth, i.e. gums and bones around teeth. In the initial stages, patients generally do not feel any discomfort, so it is the dentist who can tell you that you have it. If left untreated, periodontitis progresses and bleeding and inflammation of the gums, bad breath, pain, foreign body sensation, loosening, shifting and eventually tooth loss occur.
You may not have recognized the mentioned symptoms so far, but that does not mean that you do not have periodontitis. Make an appointment, our specialists will examine the condition of your gums and bones in detail. We can proudly say that we are one of the few who pay great attention to this disease, which guarantees that you will preserve your natural teeth for a long time. Of course, we did not end our story here because it continues at regular periodic inspections.
Periodontitis almost always begins with bleeding gums. They are swollen, red and bleed when brushing your teeth and flossing. Due to the swollen gums, there is a feeling that there is a foreign body between the teeth.
It is often accompanied by bad breath. Odor is caused by poor hygiene, food debris in periodontal pockets or the presence of pus.
It happens that periodontitis progresses very “insidiously” and that the first symptom that patients notice is loosening and migration of teeth. Unfortunately, this is the last stage and treatment is limited.
A special form of this disease is the so-called juvenile periodontitis. It has a very progressive course, progresses rapidly, and affects young patients who lose their teeth in their thirties.
Since periodontitis in a large number of cases does not cause discomfort and goes unnoticed by patients – early detection and timely therapy are extremely important for a favorable therapeutic outcome of the disease.
If you have already lost a tooth (teeth) due to periodontitis or other reasons, consider installing dental implants as an option to permanently replace lost teeth.
What are the causes of periodontitis?
Periodontal disease is a multicausal disease – it can occur due to numerous causes. Some of them are related to systemic diseases of the body, such as infections that reduce immunity, blood dyscrasias, diabetes and the like. It can be hereditary or caused by increased stress or hormonal imbalances.
Regardless of the main cause or causes of the disease, poor oral hygiene is certainly a factor that will significantly accelerate the development of periodontitis.
How is periodontitis treated?
There are many procedures used to treat periodontitis, and which one will be used depends on the stage of the disease. Non-surgical treatment is always started and, if necessary, surgical interventions are included.
In the early stage of periodontal disease, professional removal of soft and hard deposits from the tooth surfaces, together with daily proper maintenance of oral hygiene, gives satisfactory results. Professional dental treatment removes dental plaque and tartar from the supragingival and subgingival regions, inaccessible to daily cleaning with oral hygiene products.
When periodontitis has advanced, it is necessary to do causal therapy (gum curettage). It is a “deep cleansing” procedure that is performed under local anesthesia. This procedure significantly reduces gingivitis and sometimes only this phase is sufficient in the treatment.
In the developed stages of periodontitis, surgical interventions, the so-called flap surgery, are necessary. The flap surgery, with the use of bone substitutes, reduces the depth of the periodontal pocket, eliminates the causes of infection and establishes an adequate basis for maintaining oral hygiene.
Surgical treatments combined with proper oral hygiene and regular check-ups increase your chances of stopping periodontitis and prolonging the life of natural teeth.
How to prevent periodontitis?
Regular, proper oral hygiene and professional teeth cleaning in the office (at least two, or more times a year) are the most effective ways to prevent periodontitis. Depending on the current stage of periodontitis, our specialist team will suggest the necessary measures of treatment and subsequent maintenance of the achieved results. To make everything easier for you, we will train you in detail on how and with what to maintain excellent oral hygiene.