Diagnosing and Treating Periodontal Disease

To understand the disease, we first need to understand the term. In medical terms the word ‘periodontal’ means gums. Periodontal disease is an infection of the soft tissues of gums. The main reason causing this infection is poor brushing activity. When teeth are not brushed carefully and properly, plaque is formed on the gums and base of teeth, this plaque then hardens and make the gums swell and bleed. This condition when left untreated, can lead to serious gum infection which is called periodontal disease. In the worst case, the infection spreads to the bone, the tooth may become loose and cause severe pain. At the last stage, tooth is removed and then the infection in treated. To prevent this to happen, the diagnosis and treating periodontal disease at the early stage is very important. We at the Dr. Greenwald & Dr. Barnouti Dental do our best in making patients aware of such risks and put more emphasis on taking care of their oral health properly.

In many cases, despite of taking good care of teeth patients still catch this infection and they are often confused about it. So, for them, here is a shocking news that smoking habits also lead to plaque buildup in the soft tissues where teeth meet the gums. Another possible yet significant risk factor of plaque buildup and infection is diabetes. Diabetic patients are often at the risk of developing various infections and gum infection also called as periodontal disease is one of them. So, the diagnosis and treating periodontal disease at early stage is very important to prevent tooth loss.

According to a survey conducted, there are 47% of adults who are under the age of 30 and above have gum disease. And the poor brushing and smoking is not the only cause. This ratio raises to up to 70% for the people above the age of 65. Although poor oral hygiene is the main contributing factor in periodontal disease, it is not the only one. As a result of this disease, researchers say, not only the gums are affected but also the mental health of the patients is at risk. So, to understand the disease better and to take measures to prevent this disease, let us dig more into it.

What causes Periodontal Disease?

As discussed above, one of the significant and leading cause of periodontal disease is poor oral health. When people do not brush twice a day, or floss once a day, then they are at a risk of developing gum disease. And not brushing properly is cherry on top. This results in plaque formation. Due to not brushing regularly and properly, the plaque stays on the gums and hardens over time. This hardening convert plaque into tartar which is the main factor causing bacterial infection in the soft tissues between teeth and gums. Tartar is not easy to remove, only the professional or a dentist is able to remove tartar with their special instruments. When you realize tartar formation and need immediate help, you can visit us at Hillcrest Mall 9350 Yonge St Suite 201, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 5G. Or you can email us at greenwaldbarnouti@gmail.com or give us a call on (905) 883-1334 to book an early appointment. Our professionals are always ready to help our patients.

When you want to prevent the gum disease, a dental visit is considered crucial. Because when the tartar is left as it is, it easily spreads to surrounding tissues and may also reach to the gum bone. Once the infection has reached to the gum bone, it will further soft the tissue and bone decay starts. This decay results in loose tooth, and you are also at the risk of loosing it or a part of it. This is very painful process and no one wants to go through it. So, the early diagnosis and treating periodontal disease is inevitable.

Many other causes of periodontal disease or gum infection include, smoking habit, diabetes, hormonal changes, AIDS or other health conditions. We have prepared a list of risk factors and causes of periodontal disease; these are:

• Genetics is one of the reasons of gum disease, one thing you can do about this is identifying it at early stage so that it can be treated before getting worse.
• Lifestyle choices is very important. Your eating habits, sugar intake, smoking tobacco or non-tobacco products both are risky for developing gum disease.
• Certain diseases such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases such as AIDS, and hormonal changes in the body especially of females can also lead to periodontal diseases.
• Excessive consumption of alcohol also leads to gum disease whose diagnosis and treating periodontal disease is very important or else you could lose your teeth.

In addition to above, certain medicines also lead to plaque build-up contributing into the development of periodontal disease.