Periodontal diseases are infections of the gums, which gradually destroy the support of your natural teeth. They constitute a number of disease entities that require a number of different treatment approaches.
The main cause of Periodontitis is dental plaque, which is also the cause of tooth decay. Plaque, a colorless “bio-film” colonization of many differing kinds of bacteria, is the source of toxins that occur both above and below the gum line. These toxins, in susceptible patients, initiate a process that ultimately breaks the protective seal the gums form around your tooth leading to inflammation, bone loss and the formation of pockets, or spaces, along the tooth root surface. These “pockets” which harbor and protect bacterial colonies, can actually be thought of as localized acute or chronic infections.
As Periodontal disease progresses, the supporting bone dissolves. If left untreated, this leads to tooth loss. Most, but certainly not all, patients have signs of inflammation. Bleeding, redness and swelling do not have to be present. Furthermore, pain is usually not associated with Periodontal disease.
Perhaps if it were, more patients would seek treatment. This disease proceeds to damage the teeth, gum and jawbone so that by the age of 35 more teeth are lost to Periodontal disease than to decay. By the age of 45 more than 80% of Americans have lost one or more teeth to this process.
