Periodontics
Periodontitis presents inflammatory conditions of the tooth surrounding tissue. It is considered that as much as 80 % of people are affected by a form of this disease during their lifetime.
It is a disease that causes bone loss and damage of the gingiva. The progression is slow, often without any symptoms. Sometimes many years can pass between the time when the first symptoms of the disease occur – usually already in one’s twenties – and when the teeth eventually fall out.
Therefore, we want to provide you with a bit of information about this disease and urge you to react immediately by making an appointment with your dentist if you notice its symptoms or realise that you might belong to the risk group for it, considering that the sooner the disease is identified and treatment begins, the bigger and better are the chances for recovery.
Signs that can reveal the existence of the disease are:
- gingival bleeding during performance of oral hygiene
- swelled and sensitive gums
- mobility of teeth
- bad breath
If we do not practice correct and regular dental hygiene at least twice a day to disrupt the structure of dental plaque, a deposit packed with bacteria and food remains, an inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) will occur very quickly. As a result, the gums bleed during brushing, which scares people, who then stop brushing sufficiently, which further aggravates the problem.
If such an inflammation persists and is ignored, the result is the damage and infection of deeper structures (periodontitis) and the loss of bone, which causes the formation of periodontal pockets. Further bone decay causes tooth mobility – looseness and, in the terminal stage, its falling out. It is important to point out that, while every case of periodontitis is always preceded by gingivitis, not every case of gingivitis develops into periodontitis, which means that a timely reaction is very important.
The etymology of periodontitis includes various factors such as genetics, smoking, diabetes, kidney failure, immunodeficiency, osteoporosis etc.
Proper oral hygiene, which consists of brushing the teeth and rinsing with mouthwash is mandatory for the prevention of the mentioned disease.
Only the cooperation between the patient and the dentist can lead to good oral health.