What is Periodontal disease?
When the area around the tooth – the gums and bone – is attacked by disease from plaque build-up it’s called periodontal disease. The sticky, clear film that surrounds teeth is called plaque. food and bacteria that is not removed daily begins to build up, harden and destroy or wear down the gums and the bone that supports the teeth. Typically you will notice periodontal disease when your gums are red, swollen and often bleed.
Did you know that four out of five people have periodontal disease? Most of them don’t know it either! The disease is painless for a while, so it often goes undetected.
Why Periodontal Disease is Bad
- periodontal disease is the top reason that people lose teeth
- research suggests that there may be a link between periodontal disease and other diseases such as, stroke, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and increased risk during pregnancy.
- Smoking also increases the risk of periodontal disease.
How to Prevent Periodontal Disease
- a balanced, healthy diet
- regular dental visits
- daily teeth brushing
- daily flossing
Signs and symptoms of periodontal disease:
- Bleeding gums – helathy gums should never bleed
- Loose teeth – Also caused by bone loss or weakened periodontal fibers (fibers that support the tooth to the bone)
- New spacing between teeth – bone loss can cause spacing to occur
- Persistent bad breath – it’s linked to bacteria in the mouth that is not ridded of
- Pus around the teeth and gums – sure sign that an infection is occurring
- Receding gums – when loss of gums occurs it is being eaten away by infection
- Red and puffy gums – this means they’re infected
- Tenderness or Discomfort – this means that plaque and bacteria is intruding on the gums and teeth causing irritation