What is periodontal disease?
Let's break that down a little bit. "Periodo" means around and "dontal" means tooth. So periodontal disease literally means any disease or condition that affects the tissue surrounding your tooth. Now, what surrounds your tooth? There's a combination of things. First of all, it's your gums. Your gums have to form a nice tight seal and protect the area right around your tooth. And then there's the jawbone that your teeth have to go into, and the jawbone provides the foundation. So periodontal disease is also known as gum disease. However, gum disease is a little bit of a misnomer because it affects more than just your gums. Periodontal disease can affect the gums, the surrounding jawbone, or any of those tissues in between.
What causes gum disease?
Well, to be honest, there's a lot of ongoing research as to exactly why certain people are prone to periodontal disease and why maybe others are not. We're still coming to more understanding about the root cause of periodontal disease, but let's just sum it up by saying that periodontal disease is not caused by just one thing. It's a combination of genetic factors, the bacteria that lives in your mouth, your daily habits, your diet, your routines. There are so many things that could go into that. But generally speaking, people that are very meticulous about cleaning their teeth and their gums and getting professional cleanings done, they're going to be at lower risk for periodontal disease.
What are some of the first warning signs of periodontal disease?
One of the first signs, believe it or not, is bad breath. Bad breath is often caused by bacteria. And the deeper the bacteria can live in your mouth, in other words, the deeper they can burrow themselves into your gums, the more stinky they become. So bad breath could be one of the early warning signs of periodontal disease. One of the other very frequent signs of periodontal disease is bleeding gums.
Why do the gums bleed?
Well, let me ask you, is there any other part of your body that when you touch it, it just starts bleeding? Probably not. Or you might be in the hospital right now. However, gums are a very unique part of your body. Your gums have to be the interface. They are the gatekeepers of everything in your mouth, all the food and everything you eat, the bacteria, and what's below that. So they are the gatekeepers. And the gums, when they're bleeding, they're telling you a story. Bleeding gums is a sign of inflammation. And inflammation is your body's natural defense against disease, namely the bacteria that lives in your gums. So if your gums are bleeding, the chances are you have one of those early warning signs or symptoms of gum disease.
If my gums are bleeding or if I have bad breath or one of the signs of periodontal disease, when should I get this checked out?
My question for you would be, how soon is too soon to start feeling healthier? That's kind of tongue in cheek. No pun intended. However, I will say if you have bleeding gums or bad breath, let's get you seen as soon as possible.
What about my immune system? Can't my immune system fight off this bacteria that's living in my gums?
That is a great question. In fact, your immune system does fight very hard to fight off the infection that lives in your gums. And in fact, that is one of the central problems about periodontal disease. Because when your immune system starts attacking the bacteria that lives deep in your gums, there are innocent bystanders. Now, what do I mean by that? Your immune system releases certain chemicals to fight the bacteria. It just so happens that those same chemicals cause the gums to loosen up around your teeth and also cause the jawbone that supports the roots of your teeth to start eroding. So in a sense, it is the strong immune response that causes much of the damage that we see from periodontal disease.
What kind of damage are we speaking of?
Namely, as the gums loosen up and the jawbone starts to erode, the teeth can become loose. It's almost like digging a tree out of the ground. Your teeth depend on the jawbone to support the roots. But if periodontal disease has a chance to burrow deep into your gums and start eroding away the jawbone, your teeth will eventually become loose and they may even fall out. So that's why it is so important that you go to the dentist and have the intervention done so that we can actually clear up your periodontal disease and prevent you from losing your teeth.
What's going to happen if I don't take care of periodontal disease?
If periodontal disease is left untreated, it continues to progress. There are many recent scientific studies that have been published that talk about the connection of the bacteria that lives in your mouth with the rest of your body. Believe it or not, your teeth and gums are not separate from the rest of your body. They are an integral part of your body. So therefore, if you are living with chronic infection in your gums, you are really living with a chronic infection throughout your body.
What is one of the first things you can do to help treat periodontal disease?
Believe it or not, the first and most basic treatment is relatively simple. It's called a periodontal cleaning. It's also known as a deep cleaning. And the technical term for that is a scaling and root planing. Basically, scaling and root planing just means we're going to smooth all of the surfaces around your teeth and make sure that there's no buildup or tartar surrounding your teeth. So step one is to go in and do a very thorough cleaning to remove any of the bacteria that's living in your gums so that your gums can actually have a chance to heal and recover. Most people do very well with these cleanings, and within a matter of just a couple weeks, your gums could practically be healed. Now, that doesn't mean you're done for good. That just means the initial healing process has taken place. If you're prone to gum disease, we're going to recommend that you come to the dentist more often so we can make sure that the bacteria that wants to live around your gums doesn't have a chance to set up shop and start damaging your gums and your jawbone again.
If I've had periodontal disease or if I currently have periodontal disease, am I a candidate to have other dental work done such as fillings or crowns?
Well, the answer to that is yes and no, because it depends on the stage of periodontal disease that you have. If you currently have periodontal disease that has been untreated, you may need to have that treated first before you have any definitive dental work done. Now, in some extreme cases, even after a periodontal cleaning, your gums may not fully recover from periodontal disease. This is usually in the case of very advanced periodontal disease. In those cases, we're going to recheck your gums and reassess the situation so we can figure out the next course of action. For some people, it may even require a gum surgery to fully correct the damage that has been done with your periodontal disease.
Is periodontal disease something you can ever be cured of?
One of the things that is the dirty little secret of periodontal disease is that you're never actually cured from the disease. And the reason why is because some people have certain risk factors in their body, be that genetics or be that the type of bacteria that lives in their mouth, and those factors are going to always put them at risk for periodontal disease. So if you are prone to periodontal disease, you're never actually done. What I mean by that is at first you may undergo a periodontal cleaning, but then you require maintenance cleanings. People that have maintenance cleanings usually come every three to four months so that we can stay ahead of the disease process and not have to backtrack. People without periodontal disease are usually recommended to have their teeth cleaned every six months or so.
How can you go about getting it checked if you think you're experiencing any of the signs or symptoms of periodontal disease?
To schedule an appointment, call (623) 294-1333 and one of our friendly team members will set you up with an initial consultation. I hope you've learned a lot about periodontal disease today. Again, I'm Dr. Shawn Monahan from Monahan Dentistry, and I look forward to meeting you soon.