Periodontal disease
What is periodontal disease?
Let's break it down. The word periodontal refers to the structures surrounding the tooth like gum and bone. In disease, it is inflammation of any of these structures that can affect one or more teeth.
To be more specific there are different types of periodontal disease. The disease can only involve the gums, which is termed gingivitis. Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums with no destruction or breakdown of bone (inflammation is reversible). The other type of periodontal disease is periodontitis. Periodontitis results in destruction of all parts including the gums, ligaments, bone, and the protective surface of the roots called cememtum (desctruction is irreversible).
How do you get gingivitis?
In health, gums are pink, firm, and have no bleeding. Some signs of gingivitis are a change in color of the gum tissue, contour, and consistency with bleeding. The gums may look swollen and have a red appearance. Gums help support our teeth in bone. In health gum tissue naturally has a space around our teeth similar to a turtle neck sweater. It forms a cuff around each tooth that is normally
1-3mm in depth. There are roughly 700 species of bacteria in the mouth. Plaque biofilm can form in the space between the tooth and gum tissue. This plaque biofilm is what is removed when brushing our teeth. If areas are not brushed properly and plaque is left behind, this plaque can irritate the gums. Signs of gingivitis are usually observable in 4 to 14 days, but can be reversed with better brushing and flossing.
How do you get periodontitis?
Periodontitis occurs when gingivitis is not resolved. Periodontitis is characterized by the loss of tissue and the loss of bone. In this type of periodontal disease bone loss is permanent. Periodontitis has no symptoms of pain associated with it, therefore people do not know they have it. Some signs are change in gum tissue appearance (redness, swelling, and contour). Dentists and dental hygienists perform an assessment called periodontal probing to determine whether bone loss is present. This assessment should be performed once a year. The measurement of periodontitis is 4mm and greater. Inflammation from plaque biofilm and bacteria progresses causing an infection in the surrounding structures. Gum tissue begins to pull away from the tooth and the bone begins to breakdown.
Local contributing factors
There are some factors that can play a role in periodontal disease. Here are some examples:
- overall shape of a tooth - trauma from biting habits
- existing crowns & fillings with poor margins - tongue thrusting/mouth breathing
- food impactions - smoking
Systemic factors
There are also factors that can be associated with periodontal disease.
- Diabetes - Medications
- Autoimmune disorders - Hormonal factors
- Osteoporosis
Let's break it down. The word periodontal refers to the structures surrounding the tooth like gum and bone. In disease, it is inflammation of any of these structures that can affect one or more teeth.
To be more specific there are different types of periodontal disease. The disease can only involve the gums, which is termed gingivitis. Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums with no destruction or breakdown of bone (inflammation is reversible). The other type of periodontal disease is periodontitis. Periodontitis results in destruction of all parts including the gums, ligaments, bone, and the protective surface of the roots called cememtum (desctruction is irreversible).
How do you get gingivitis?
In health, gums are pink, firm, and have no bleeding. Some signs of gingivitis are a change in color of the gum tissue, contour, and consistency with bleeding. The gums may look swollen and have a red appearance. Gums help support our teeth in bone. In health gum tissue naturally has a space around our teeth similar to a turtle neck sweater. It forms a cuff around each tooth that is normally
1-3mm in depth. There are roughly 700 species of bacteria in the mouth. Plaque biofilm can form in the space between the tooth and gum tissue. This plaque biofilm is what is removed when brushing our teeth. If areas are not brushed properly and plaque is left behind, this plaque can irritate the gums. Signs of gingivitis are usually observable in 4 to 14 days, but can be reversed with better brushing and flossing.
How do you get periodontitis?
Periodontitis occurs when gingivitis is not resolved. Periodontitis is characterized by the loss of tissue and the loss of bone. In this type of periodontal disease bone loss is permanent. Periodontitis has no symptoms of pain associated with it, therefore people do not know they have it. Some signs are change in gum tissue appearance (redness, swelling, and contour). Dentists and dental hygienists perform an assessment called periodontal probing to determine whether bone loss is present. This assessment should be performed once a year. The measurement of periodontitis is 4mm and greater. Inflammation from plaque biofilm and bacteria progresses causing an infection in the surrounding structures. Gum tissue begins to pull away from the tooth and the bone begins to breakdown.
Local contributing factors
There are some factors that can play a role in periodontal disease. Here are some examples:
- overall shape of a tooth - trauma from biting habits
- existing crowns & fillings with poor margins - tongue thrusting/mouth breathing
- food impactions - smoking
Systemic factors
There are also factors that can be associated with periodontal disease.
- Diabetes - Medications
- Autoimmune disorders - Hormonal factors
- Osteoporosis
This is image shows a periodontal probe that is used to measure the space between the tooth and gum.
In health gum tissue is 1-3mm in depth. In gingivitis there is inflammation in the gums and the reading can increase in depth, but no bone loss is present. In periodontitis, the measurement is 4 mm and greater with bone loss. Bone loss can be confirmed in a dental xray.
Image from Google Images
http://perio.org/
The link below is an online test to assess if you may have periodontal disease.
http://service.previser.com/aap/default.aspx
Citations:
perio.org
Foundations of Periodontics for the Dental Hygienist, Jill S. Neild-Gehrig and Donald E. Willmann
The link below is an online test to assess if you may have periodontal disease.
http://service.previser.com/aap/default.aspx
Citations:
perio.org
Foundations of Periodontics for the Dental Hygienist, Jill S. Neild-Gehrig and Donald E. Willmann