Periodontal Disease and Bone Loss
Periodontal Disease and Bone Loss – Periodontal disease–or gum disease–has the potential to not only ruin your gums but also cause bone loss. Check out this video to learn the connection between periodontal disease and bone loss.
Expert: Paul Fletcher, DDS Periodontics and Implant Dentistry, Specialized Dentistry of New York
Transcript
Good oral hygiene depends upon daily brushing and flossing and seeing your dentist for regular cleanings. But the rewards are huge! You can avoid all kinds of potential problems including gum disease AND bone and tooth loss.
Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, starts out as gingivitis. This is a mild irritation of the gum caused by a build up of tartar. It can cause the gums to redden, swell and bleed. Gingivitis is usually the result of poor oral hygiene, but smoking, aging, genetics, stress and certain medications can also trigger problems. If you don’t take action to reverse it, you can end up with periodontitis.
Periodontitis develops when bacteria and plaque build up and spread below the gum line as the toxins from the bacteria trigger the body’s chronic inflammatory response, and contribute to the breakdown of the supporting tissue AND jaw bone. When this happens, spaces, known as pockets, form between the gums and teeth where bacteria can thrive and cause infection. As periodontal disease progresses, the pockets become deeper causing more gum tissue and bone to be destroyed. This can eventually lead to tooth loss.
There are several ways to treat periodontal disease, both surgically and non-surgically, including root planing, scaling, flap surgery, bone grafting and guided tissue regeneration.
If your periodontitis is less advanced,your dentist MAY recommend topical antibiotics but antibiotics in pill form may also be needed to fully treat the infection. But if you’re diligent about oral care and DON’T SMOKE, chances are you’ll never have to deal with the problems this kind of gum disease can cause.
Last Modified: 2014-01-10
Category: Health and Nutrition, Videos
