Periodontal (Gum) Disease Information Page

What Is Periodontal (Gum) Disease?

Periodontal literally means "around the tooth." Periodontal or gum diseases are serious infections affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth. These tissues include the gums and bone supporting the teeth. Without treatment, periodontal disease can result in tooth loss (See Stages of the Disease).

Periodontal disease is usually a slow, painless, progressive disease. Most adults with periodontal disease are unaware they have it. If diagnosed and treated early the teeth can be saved.

What Causes Periodontal Disease?

If not removed daily, plaque becomes the hard material known as tartar or calculus. Calculus cannot be removed by brushing and flossing alone. A dentist, periodontist, or hygienist must remove it manually to stop the disease process.

With time, the tissues that attach the gums to the teeth are destroyed by plaque and its by-products. The gums "pull away" from the teeth and pockets begin to form between the teeth and gums. Plaque and calculus continue to fill these pockets until eventually, the jawbone supporting the teeth is destroyed. 

Other factors can modify how your gums react to plaque or calculus, thereby altering your body's response to the disease and affecting your overall health:  Smoking/Tobacco Use Diabetes Stress Medications  Clenching or Grinding Your Teeth Pregnancy and Puberty Diet and Nutrition Immunosuppression (i.e. leukemia, AIDS)

How Is It Treated?

Chances are that if you have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, periodontal surgery may be recommended. Surgery is indicated when non-surgical methods are not enough to stop the disease process. 

Depending on how advanced your particular case is, treatment may involve any of the following:

• Scaling and root planing. Scaling involves the removal of the plaque and calculus deposits on the tooth surfaces, while root planing is the smoothing of the root surfaces in order to promote reattachment of the gum tissue to the tooth.

  Plaque and tartar (yellow or brown Hardened plaque) are scraped off the tooth's crown and roots.

  After Scaling, the rough surfaces of the root are smoothed, providing a healthy surface for healing.

  
  

• Flap/Osseous Therapy allows the periodontist to gain access to the root of the tooth for removal of plaque, calculus, and diseased tissue. The gum is then carefully sutured back into place. Flap therapy may sometimes be accompanied by minor osseous (bone) shaping or removal in order to ease tissue positioning, facilitate home care, and simplify your maintenance appointments.

  	The gum is lifted from the tooth and bone, and diseased tissue is removed. The uneven bone may also may be reshaped.
  	After surgery, the gum is repositioned and sutured in place.

  
  

• Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) involves the use of a biocompatible membrane material, often in combination with a bone graft, that promotes the growth of lost tissue and bone around your tooth. Not every case is suitable for grafting so ask your dentist or Dr.'s Nejat & Aldredge if this procedure can benefit you. 

  	In some cases, destroyed tissue between teeth or roots can be partially regenerated.
  	Once the damaged area is prepared and special membranes are inserted, new tissue can grow over a period of weeks and months.

Visit our  Bone Regeneration page to read more about GTR and see some previously treated cases.

Periodontal Diseases in the US Population

The latest research shows that 92 % of us have calculus (tartar) in our mouths, and 3 out of every 4 has calculus beneath the gums, where it causes the most severe damage. Over 1/2 of the adults over the age of 35 are already in the early stages of periodontal disease. In fact, periodontal disease is the primary cause of tooth loss after the age of 35.

        -Statistics taken from:     Oliver, Brown and Loe, Journal of Periodontology, 1998   

                                                Albandar et al, 1999, Journal of Periodontology, 1999 

What You Can Do...

Periodontal health begins at home. Together with the state-of-the-art treatment methods available today, you can be confident your teeth can be saved. But what can YOU do? Here are some tips for maintaining periodontal health at home:

• Brush your teeth three times daily.

• Floss your teeth at least once a day.

• Eat good, well-balanced meals.

• Avoid sticky, sugary snacks.

• Examine you mouth for signs of periodontal disease regularly.

• Visit your dentist for check-ups and cleanings at least twice a year.

Your dentist is the first line of defense and in the best position to detect the early signs of periodontal disease.

If you have any further questions regarding periodontal therapy, any of the doctors or Dr.'s Nejat & Aldredge to address all of your concerns.

The objective of periodontal therapy is to prevent tooth loss. However, if you have already lost one or more teeth due to gum disease, please see our section on dental implants - a permanent, conservative tooth replacement alternative.