Typical Treatments For Gum Disease - Periodontal Disease

Typical Treatments For Gum Disease - Periodontal Disease
Gum disease (also called periodontal disease) is an infection of the
tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth. Periodontal disease is a
progressive infection that, when untreated, can destroy the gums and
other supporting structures of the teeth and can lead to tooth loss.
The condition is typically treated by scaling and root planing (also
called debridement) to clear away pockets of harmful bacteria that
cause periodontal disease. When this is not successful, surgery is
usually recommended. Surgery involves lifting back the gums, removing
the hardened plaque buildup, then stitching the gums back in place.

There are often no warning signs of early periodontitis. Pain,
abscess, and loosening of the teeth do not occur until the disease is
advanced. Since periodontitis affects more than just the gums, it
cannot be controlled with regular brushing and flossing. Periodontitis
should be treated by a periodontist (a gum disease specialist) or by a
general dentist who has special training in treating gum diseases.

People with poor blood sugar control get gum disease more often and
more severely, and they lose more teeth than do persons with good
control. Good diabetic control is the best protection against
periodontal disease.

The harmful effects of smoking, particularly heart disease and
cancer, are well known. Studies show that smoking also increases the
chances of developing gum disease. In fact, smokers are five times more
likely than nonsmokers to have gum disease. For smokers with diabetes,
the risk is even greater. If you are a smoker with diabetes, age 45 or
older, you are 20 times more likely than a person without these risk
factors to get severe gum disease.

One study even suggested that individuals with severe periodontal
bone loss (loss of bone that holds the teeth in place) may have twice
the risk of fatal coronary heart disease as normal individuals, after
controlling for other relevant risk factors.

Part of the link between periodontal disease and heart disease may
lie with harmful bacteria that colonize the mouth. The investigators
theorize that certain types of these bacteria, which clump together in
sticky masses called plaque and cause periodontal diseases, also
activate white blood cells in the body to release harmful clotting
factors and proteins (called pro-inflammatory mediators) that
contribute to heart disease and stroke.

"Establishing periodontal diseases as a risk factor for heart
disease and stroke would take on new meaning for oral health as it
relates to the overall health of individuals," according to Drs. James
D. Beck and Steven Offenbacher, principal and co-principal
investigators of the study. Dr. Beck is the Kenan professor and chair
of the Department of Dental Ecology at the UNC School of Dentistry; Dr.
Offenbacher is a professor of periodontology at the UNC School of
Dentistry and a member of the graduate faculty.