What is Periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease (Periodontitis) is a serious infection that affects the tissues holding your teeth in place. While you can be genetically predisposed, it’s often caused by incorrect brushing and flossing habits, which allow plaque to build up and harden on your teeth.
Permanent Damage
Since periodontal disease causes permanent damage to the tooth-supporting bone, treatment aims to stop disease progression by controlling and minimizing oral bacteria. This requires ongoing, lifelong care.
Who Is At Risk?
Diabetics are more prone to periodontal disease, but 30-50% of the general population is also affected. Notably, there’s a strong link between periodontal disease and heart disease.
Periodontal Disease Key Indicator
The best way to determine if periodontal disease is stable is for a dentist to assess whether your gums are healthy or if they bleed. Bleeding gums are a clear sign that your gums aren’t healthy and that acid-producing bacteria are present.
What Causes Periodontal Disease?
If gingivitis is left untreated, it leads to periodontal disease – this is where the plaque starts to develop below the gum line and the bacteria in the plaque produce toxins, which results in further inflammation of the gums and the destruction of tooth supporting bone.
How Do I Know If I Have Periodontal Disease?
Periodontitis is generally not detected at home, but is detected during your regular dental visits. If periodontal disease is diagnosed, it will need treatment to stop the destruction of the tooth-supporting jawbone.
Can Periodontitis Go Away?
Periodontal disease is a lifelong condition that can be maintained with regular professional cleans and good home care. It cannot be cured.
Treatment Involves
- Professional deep cleaning above and below the gumline to remove plaque and hardened deposits.
- Developing a personalized at-home cleaning plan. This ensures you have the tools and knowledge to maintain optimal oral health.
- Regular reviews.
- Removing risk factors such as smoking or protecting the gums from grinding.
At Home Care
For the best oral hygiene tools to control gum disease, we recommend using Piksters and the Waterpik. Additionally, Chlorhexidine Mouthrinse and Gel can be helpful. For best results, use the piksters from the inside out, and outside in of your teeth. If you’re having trouble with dexterity, the Waterpik is the ideal solution to make oral care easier. Only use chlorhexidine mouthrinse and gel for a limited period of 10-14 days.