What is periodontitis?
Periodontitis, or periodontal disease, is what happens when your gums and your bones get infected with bacteria. Unlike gingivitis, periodontitis is underneath your gums and it doesn't just affect the gums, it also infects the bone underneath. Periodontal disease attacks the foundation of your teeth. If left untreated, it can eat away at the bone and gum support of the teeth, eventually leading to the loss of those teeth.
What are the warning signs of periodontal disease?
The scary thing about periodontal disease is that sometimes people have no idea that they have it. Many times people will realize they have something going on in their mouth related to their gums and their bone when they start to notice a smell or a bad taste in their mouth, their gums bleed more than they used to, or in severe cases, their teeth start to loosen.
When should I see a dentist if I suspect I may be developing periodontal disease?
If you think that you have any kind of periodontal disease, you should definitely see your dentist as soon as possible. If periodontal disease is left untreated, it can lead to infection, abscess, or the loss of teeth.
What role does the immune system play in periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease is caused by bacteria. There are specific bacteria that are located in the mouth that are responsible for periodontal disease. Like any other kind of sickness, if you are healthier and your body's immune system is robust, you may be able to better resist the effects of periodontal disease and your body may be able to fight it off.
How does periodontal disease progress if it goes untreated?
If periodontal disease is not treated in time, it will continue to grow and progress. Periodontal disease attacks the bone located underneath your gums. If you lose bone because of periodontal disease, you can also lose gums around the teeth. Your gums will recede and you'll see more of your tooth than you previously did. If taken to the extreme, periodontal disease can cause the movement or the loss of your teeth.
What is periodontal cleaning?
Periodontal cleaning, also sometimes referred to as deep scaling and root cleaning or in layman's terms, a deep cleaning. To remove the infection, the dentist or the hygienist will have to go deeper than where they would normally go on a general cleaning. Usually, we use local anesthesia so that it's a comfortable procedure for the patient.
Can you get crowns with periodontal disease?
You are able to get crowns with periodontal disease, however, we usually recommend that periodontal disease is treated first before crowns are placed. Placing a crown on a tooth that has periodontal disease is like building a house on shaky ground or an unstable foundation. So almost always we recommend that periodontal disease is treated first before crowns are placed.
What treatments are available for periodontal disease?
One of the first and most common ways to treat periodontal disease is through deep scanning and replaning. This essentially means that the hygienist or the dentist will go underneath the gums and clean out the areas of infection that are located either around the roots of the teeth or sitting in the pockets, the spaces in between your gums and your teeth.
Can periodontal disease be cured?
Periodontal disease is something that is managed by regular appointments and also good oral hygiene at home on the part of the patient. Both of these things are necessary in order to control periodontal disease. The way that we at Crown Dentistry determine if your periodontal disease is cured is by taking regular measurements of your gums or specifically we measure the spaces in between the gums and the teeth. Healthy spaces are usually classified as 1 to 3 millimeters, 4 millimeters is usually a borderline periodontal disease situation and any spaces that are 5 millimeters or greater are considered to be infected with periodontal disease.
How can I schedule a dental appointment?
If you have additional questions or if you're ready to take action, please give our office a call at (916) 848-2145.