Everything You Need To Know About Periodontal Disease
What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease is basically inflammation of your gums and/or the gums and the bone sockets. It's of bacterial origin. Gum disease is caused by bacteria that builds up in the mouth and causes your gums and bone sockets to get inflamed. The reason for that can be poor oral health, smoking, or a person having lower immunity due to something like diabetes. That's gum disease. That's periodontal disease.
What are the causes?
Poor oral hygiene is one of them, along with not cleaning your teeth often enough at the dental office, smoking, and diabetes.
What other conditions are connected to periodontal disease?
The latest research shows that the bacteria causing gum disease in your mouth doesn't just stay in your mouth; it travels all over your body. It has been linked to dementia, including Alzheimer's. It exacerbates or worsens diabetes. If your diabetes is out of control, your gums are going to be out of control. If your gums are out of control, your diabetes will get worse.
Also, it has been linked to pancreatic cancer. It affects other areas of your body, and a lot of research has shown that the bacteria in the mouth can reach the valves in your heart and even the microbiome in your brain.
Can periodontal disease be cured?
If you have gingivitis only, gum inflammation of your gums with no bone loss, then you have something called gingivitis. Yes, if you keep it under control with good hygiene, you can control it. If you have periodontitis, which is when the bone sockets are involved and they've dropped down, then it is not reversible. Once you lose bone socket level, it never goes back up; that is irreversible.
However, the good news is you can stabilize it. If you keep it in a state of attenuation, of stability, you don't have to risk losing your teeth. Once it's stable, you could keep it there, and your teeth have a higher chance of staying in your mouth.
What treatment options are available for fighting periodontal disease or gum disease?
There are things like coming in for your checkups as recommended, every three to six months. Brushing and flossing every day. If you are recommended to have a deep cleaning, which is different from a regular cleaning, definitely do it because there's no way you can reach the areas deep enough at the bottom of the gum and bone sockets without numbing.
Consider deep cleaning the equivalent of an auto detail for your car. If you're taking your car for regular cleaning once every week or two, consider that like the regular checkup cleaning. But if you're getting a dental deep cleaning, consider it like an auto detail that takes six to eight hours, cleaning every nook and cranny. That's similar to what we do during a deep cleaning of your teeth. There is also something called surgery, which is definitely invasive and not comfortable.
Another option that I have given many of my patients is called Perio Protect Trays, which are made out of silicone. Only about three labs in the country are allowed to make these. It's considered a medical appliance. We take molds of your teeth, and they make these trays. They work like a simplified version of an oxygen pressure chamber. We put hydrogen peroxide gel in here, and you put it on the teeth for 15 minutes, once or twice a day. It's very easy to do while watching TV, taking a shower, or putting on makeup. You then take it off and rinse it. It's great stuff.
We've had great results for those who need something like this where brushing and flossing are not enough, before considering surgery. Sometimes they can avoid surgery to control gum disease. This has been a great option. It doesn't hurt, and the side effects are whiter teeth and fresher breath. What a great thing; your teeth will actually get whiter with these trays.
Are teeth cleanings on periodontal treatment painful?
They can be if your gums are inflamed, but if you come here for a regular cleaning and your gums are inflamed, we can always numb you. That is an option. It can be if you are very inflamed and you're not taking care of it.
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