Periodontal Diseases
What is Periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease is an infection that destroys the supporting structures of your mouth that hold your teeth in place. This infection is caused by bacteria. When you have periodontal disease, you either have one of two types, which is gingivitis or periodontitis.
Gingivitis is a bacterial infection that destroys the gum tissue. This type of infection is reversible, so if you are one with this type of disease there is hope! With proper oral hygiene homecare maintenance, one can get rid of gingivitis and have healthy gums again.
Periodontitis is a bacterial infection that destroys not only the gum tissue, but also the structures supporting the tooth in the bone, the bone itself and the layers inside the tooth. This infection, unfortunately, is irreversible. You will not be able to get your gums, bone and tooth structure back to complete health, but you can stop the further progression of this disease.
What causes Periodontal disease?
(Primary Etiology Factor)
The cause of periodontal disease is bacteria. We have so many different kinds of bacteria in our mouths, both good and bad. When we don’t pay enough attention to our teeth and gums, the bad bacteria will come together to grow and form little microscopic colonies in our gums. The more they grow they form a sticky layer called plaque, and as plaque begins to grow without oral hygiene care it will become mineralized and hard and turn into calculus (also known as tartar). This calculus will cause openings between the tooth and gum that will further allow bacteria to migrate down into the openings and destroy everything in its path.
Local Contributing factors?
Local contributing factors are oral conditions that increase the chance of infection in individual teeth or surfaces of a tooth. Some examples of local contributing factors are formation of dental calculus, faulty dental restorations, and dental decay. Each of these factors makes a pathway into the dental tissues for bacteria to migrate and cause more destruction.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What would cause me to get periodontal disease?
-Basically, you can get periodontal disease by not taking care of your teeth. If you are not brushing and flossing daily, you are more prone to plaque formation on your teeth. Plaque is a formation of bacteria that will stay put until you disrupt their activity, such as brushing and flossing. The longer the bacteria stay between your teeth and gums the more destruction bacteria will cause, which can lead to periodontal disease.
2. What is the difference between periodontitis and periodontal disease?
-Periodontal disease is basically a disease inside your mouth. There are two categories of periodontal disease, which are gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis effects the gum tissue, while periodontitis effects the gum tissue plus the bone.
3. What’s the best way to prevent periodontal disease?
-The best way to prevent periodontal disease would be to brush and floss daily. It would also benefit you to have regular dental office visits so that the hygienists can assist you with your regular oral care maintenance.
Reflection:
I think that it is very important for hygienists to educate their patients about periodontal disease and the harmful effects that become of it. It is also even more important for hygienists to make it simple for patients to understand. I feel confident in the way that I answer patient questions because I try to think of how I would want them explained to me before entering this program and learning all of the dental terminology.
Periodontal disease is an infection that destroys the supporting structures of your mouth that hold your teeth in place. This infection is caused by bacteria. When you have periodontal disease, you either have one of two types, which is gingivitis or periodontitis.
Gingivitis is a bacterial infection that destroys the gum tissue. This type of infection is reversible, so if you are one with this type of disease there is hope! With proper oral hygiene homecare maintenance, one can get rid of gingivitis and have healthy gums again.
Periodontitis is a bacterial infection that destroys not only the gum tissue, but also the structures supporting the tooth in the bone, the bone itself and the layers inside the tooth. This infection, unfortunately, is irreversible. You will not be able to get your gums, bone and tooth structure back to complete health, but you can stop the further progression of this disease.
What causes Periodontal disease?
(Primary Etiology Factor)
The cause of periodontal disease is bacteria. We have so many different kinds of bacteria in our mouths, both good and bad. When we don’t pay enough attention to our teeth and gums, the bad bacteria will come together to grow and form little microscopic colonies in our gums. The more they grow they form a sticky layer called plaque, and as plaque begins to grow without oral hygiene care it will become mineralized and hard and turn into calculus (also known as tartar). This calculus will cause openings between the tooth and gum that will further allow bacteria to migrate down into the openings and destroy everything in its path.
Local Contributing factors?
Local contributing factors are oral conditions that increase the chance of infection in individual teeth or surfaces of a tooth. Some examples of local contributing factors are formation of dental calculus, faulty dental restorations, and dental decay. Each of these factors makes a pathway into the dental tissues for bacteria to migrate and cause more destruction.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What would cause me to get periodontal disease?
-Basically, you can get periodontal disease by not taking care of your teeth. If you are not brushing and flossing daily, you are more prone to plaque formation on your teeth. Plaque is a formation of bacteria that will stay put until you disrupt their activity, such as brushing and flossing. The longer the bacteria stay between your teeth and gums the more destruction bacteria will cause, which can lead to periodontal disease.
2. What is the difference between periodontitis and periodontal disease?
-Periodontal disease is basically a disease inside your mouth. There are two categories of periodontal disease, which are gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis effects the gum tissue, while periodontitis effects the gum tissue plus the bone.
3. What’s the best way to prevent periodontal disease?
-The best way to prevent periodontal disease would be to brush and floss daily. It would also benefit you to have regular dental office visits so that the hygienists can assist you with your regular oral care maintenance.
Reflection:
I think that it is very important for hygienists to educate their patients about periodontal disease and the harmful effects that become of it. It is also even more important for hygienists to make it simple for patients to understand. I feel confident in the way that I answer patient questions because I try to think of how I would want them explained to me before entering this program and learning all of the dental terminology.