Did you know that based on findings from the Department of Health and Social Care, around half of UK adults now have a degree of irreversible periodontitis?
While it is often treated as a minor complication, gum disease (or periodontitis) can go on to have far-reaching consequences for both your dental health overall and the appearance of the teeth and gums.
With that in mind, what exactly is periodontal (gum) disease and how can it affect your teeth?
What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease is an inflammatory condition that causes the progressive disruption of tooth-supporting tissues.
Plaque is a film of bacteria that, if not removed, can harden on the teeth over time and lead to oral infections and diseases – presenting itself in unpleasant physical symptoms, like swollen, red, and sore gums that bleed when you brush, floss, or chew.
And, if not treated by a dental professional as well as a change in your oral health habits, these symptoms will continue to develop, worsen further, and become untreatable.
The key causes or contributing factors of perio disease include:
- Poor oral hygiene habits – including not brushing at least twice daily and flossing at least once.
If the debris of food and drink is not removed with regular and thorough brushing and flossing and accumulates in the mouth, the amount of plaque on your teeth will increase.
- Skipping visits to your dentist – most people should be going for routine check-ups at least once a year as they are vital for catching any issues early.
- Smoking or vaping – both weaken your body’s immune system, putting those who vape at a greater risk of PDL disease.
- Health conditions or prescribed medications –common health concerns and their prescribed medications can limit saliva production and cause plaque bacteria to multiply.
- Genetic factors – it has been discovered that there is a hereditary factor to gum disease, so even those who take care of their teeth can be susceptible.
Can periodontitis affect more than your teeth?
Besides the potentially huge impact periodontal disease can have on your oral health, untreated gum disease can even lead to other health conditions, too.
In fact, multiple independent and peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated a link between gum disease and the development of other conditions including:
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Pneumonia
- Dementia
Likewise, the British Heart Foundation has found that the plaque bacteria that causes our gums to become inflamed is the same bacteria shown to inflame the tissues in the heart – leading to an increased risk of heart or blood vessel problems.
What are the stages of periodontal disease?
Like other health conditions, periodontitis can develop and worsen if left untreated by a dental professional.
As these stages develop, the capacity for curing gum disease is limited, and periodontal disease treatment focuses on symptom management and stopping it from progressing any further.
The types or stages of periodontal disease are:
Gingivitis
Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums that can be reversed and while it is a separate condition, it is a risk factor for periodontal disease.
If plaque, tartar (hardened plaque), and bacteria build up on the teeth, your body will experience irritation and develop an inflammatory response, presenting as:
- Irritation, redness, and swelling
- Bleeding gums – especially when brushing, flossing, and chewing
- Sensitivity to hot or cold food/drink
- Tenderness or pain when chewing
- Gingivitis gum recession
If your dentist diagnoses you with gingivitis, they will recommend treatments that can include:
- Professional cleaning to remove the bacteria, plaque, and tartar, reducing the levels of dental plaque at and below the gum line
- Oral hygiene instructions and mouthwashes
to help treat and prevent the progression to periodontitis.
This can range from professional cleaning, scaling and root planing, to prescribing antimicrobial mouthwash and dental work like fillings or crowns.
However, patients should be aware that reversing gingivitis is an ongoing process and requires proper oral care and dentist visits.
Early periodontitis
If gingivitis is untreated and the bacteria has travelled beneath the gums, it can quickly develop into slight periodontitis. At this time, it is known by a range of names, including:
- Mild periodontal disease
- Slight periodontal disease
- Early-stage gum disease
- Mild to moderate periodontitis
Although periodontal disease can be called mild periodontitis, at this point the harmful plaque bacteria have already crossed beneath the gumline and are like to be affecting the supporting bone.
When patients have mild gum disease, receding gums, and gum pockets (a space that forms between the gum and tooth) will occur and the plaque and bacteria will hide in these periodontal pockets, hardening over time.
This makes it easier for bacteria to access the structures below the gum, causing more structural erosion.
Early-stage periodontitis care includes monitoring, assessing risk factors, probing depths, providing oral hygiene advice, cleaning on and around the gum line, and pocket reduction procedures.
However, curing gum disease is not possible at this point and treatment is focussed on stopping further progression.
Moderate periodontitis
Progression of perio disease at this point includes bacterial erosion on the ligaments, soft tissues, and bone that holds your teeth securely in place.
Once at this point, common symptoms include bad breath, pus, or infection at the gumline, pain, and larger periodontal pockets.
The best treatment for gum disease at this stage includes cleaning deeper residual pocketing around the teeth and gums and pocket-reducing procedures, which can sometimes include gum grafts, bone grafts, and regenerative surgery.
Advanced periodontitis
Also referred to as severe gum disease, severe periodontal disease, or serious gum disease, advanced periodontitis is the most serious and impactful stage of the disease.
When the effects of serious gum disease are actively affecting the bone in and around the jaw, the teeth can become loose and fall out. Patients can also find that chewing is quite uncomfortable, limiting their diet to soft foods.
Far surpassing treating inflamed gums, the best treatment for periodontal disease by this point can include regenerative surgery, supportive periodontal therapy, and regular ongoing treatment with a dental professional.
As a result of tooth loss, patients may need to look into tooth replacement options. However, thanks to the sometimes extensive damage to the structures of the mouth, most providers will encourage dentures rather than a permanent fixed solution like dental implants.
Been told you can’t get dental implants because of gum disease? Explore the EvoSolution™
What does gum disease look like?
As we have explored above, the first indicators or symptoms of gum disease are usually very subtle and easy to miss – which is a contributing factor in how common gingivitis and periodontal disease are.
In early gum disease, receding gums, infected gums, or periodontal pockets are not common, so be on the lookout for more discrete signs, including redness, a particularly sore gum issue, such as if the gum is inflamed, and oral bleeding.
It is absolutely essential to seek dental care when you spot these early indicators, especially if you want to avoid the most serious consequences of gum disease, like tooth, bone, and tissue loss.
Curing gum disease – is it possible?
Simply put, if your gum disease infection has progressed past gingivitis, curing it is not a possibility.
If you go for treatment in the early stage of periodontal disease, dentists can provide treatment to stop it from escalating further.
However, once it has progressed to the latter stages, treatment aims are solely based on stabilising the condition.
How gum disease is treated
Because how every case of gum perio disease is unique, the best treatment for periodontitis will be advised by your dental professional after a thorough examination of your teeth and gums.
Periodontal disease treatment ranges in its invasiveness depending on the severity of the gum disease infection but can range from professional cleanings, like a scale and plane, all the way up to tooth extraction, gum and bone grafts, and guided tissue regeneration (GTR).
But what happens if advanced gum disease has caused tooth loss?
Can you have dental implants with gum disease?
With most dentists, dental implants with gum disease are not possible, thanks to the loss of healthy bone tissue that is needed to anchor the implants and secure the prosthesis in place.
For complex cases, however, the EvoSolution™ can make it possible to replace a full arch – or two – of missing teeth with dental implants.
This includes patients looking for same day smiles who need dental implants but have been told they don’t have enough bone.
With this in mind, EvoDental can help even complex cases, patients who have:
- Been told that they don’t have enough healthy bone for implants
- Lost most or even all their natural teeth
- Suffered from severe gum disease
- Already undergone extensive dental work such as bridges and crowns
- A very large number of failing teeth
For those who have been told that they don’t have enough healthy bone in their upper jaw, EvoDental offers zygomatic implants that can firmly support a full prosthesis and restore a full bite.
Contact EvoDental for smile in a day dental implants – even if you have serious gum disease
For patients with advanced gum disease where most or all the teeth have been lost, reversing symptoms is no longer a possibility.
The good news, however, is that all is not lost.
At EvoDental, we are experts in full mouth dental implants. And thanks to our advanced techniques, we can offer an alternative to the common restorative all on four dental implant procedure – even where significant tooth and bone loss has taken place.
If you have struggled with periodontitis for a long time and fear that dentures may be your only solution, why not get in touch with us for a fixed solution?
We have significant experience in this field and offer a FREE 90-minute consultation, during which we can tell you there and then whether you’d be suitable for our advanced procedure.
To find out more – give us a call on 0800 470 3050 Click to Call or book a FREE consultation and our patient coordinators will get back to you as soon as possible.
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