What causes Gum Disease?
Gum disease, also known as Periodontal disease, is primarily caused by the build-up of plaque on teeth, which leads to inflammation of the gums.
Gum disease can be prevented with good oral hygiene, regular dental Check-ups, and a healthy lifestyle. If left untreated, it can lead to serious problems, such as tooth loss or damage to the jawbone.
We have Dental Hygienists that are essential in helping you keep your mouths clean and healthy. For more severe cases of gum disease, we have a Periodontist (Gum Treatment Dentist) that can help with more targeted dental treatments.
Risk Factors:
Poor Oral Hygiene: If you don’t brush and floss regularly, plaque—a sticky film of bacteria—forms on your teeth and can harden into tartar. This irritates the gums, leading to gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease.
Smoking or Chewing Tobacco: Tobacco use is a significant risk factor for gum disease because it weakens your immune system and makes it harder for your gums to heal.
Genetics: Some people may be more genetically predisposed to developing gum disease, even with good oral hygiene.
Hormonal Changes: Changes in hormone levels (like during pregnancy, menstruation, or menopause) can make gums more sensitive and vulnerable to disease.
Medications: Certain medications, such as those that cause dry mouth or those that affect gum tissue (e.g., phenytoin for epilepsy), can increase the risk of gum disease.
Poor Nutrition: A diet low in nutrients, especially vitamin C, can make your gums more susceptible to infection and disease.
Medical Conditions: Conditions like diabetes, autoimmune diseases, or conditions that affect your immune system can increase the likelihood of gum disease.
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Gingivitis
The longer plaque and tartar are on teeth; the more damage the bacteria can cause to the gums/teeth. The gums become red, swollen and bleed easily, sometimes just by brushing them. Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease and in most cases, it can be reversed with excellent oral hygiene and regular cleaning by a dentist or dental hygienist. This form of gum disease does not include any loss of bone or the tissues that hold teeth in place.
Periodontitis
Untreated Gingivitis can advance to “Periodontitis”. This is a process that affects the gums, bone and the entire tooth to bone attachment system. In Periodontitis, gum spaces (called “pockets”) are formed between the gums and the bone that become infected. If the pockets extend below the gum line the immune system initiates a reaction to fight the invading bacteria, which results in the break down of the bone support and connective tissue that hold teeth in place.
If not treated, the bones, gums, and tissue that support the teeth are destroyed. The teeth may eventually become loose and have to be removed.
How is Gum Disease (Periodontitis) treated?
The main goal of treatment is to manage and control the disease, as it is generally not curable. The number and types of treatment will vary, depending on the extent of the disease. Any type of treatment requires that the patient keep up good daily care at home and changing certain behaviours, such as quitting smoking, as a way to improve treatment outcome. There are two main types of treatment currently available depending on the extend of the disease. Non-Surgical (scaling and root plaining) as a first phase, if no respond or in cases where the damage to the bone and attachment system is severe, surgical management is used.
Non Surgical Deep Cleaning
(Scaling and Root Planning) in this phase, the plague is removed through a deep-cleaning method called scaling and root planning. Scaling means scraping off the tartar from above and below the gum line. Root planning removes the deposits along the root service inside the pockets, this helps remove bacteria that contribute to the disease.
Surgical Treatments
Flap Surgery
If Deep cleaning treatment fails to reduce the depth of the pockets around the tooth Surgery might be necessary. Flap surgery is performed to remove tartar deposits in deep pockets or to reduce the periodontal pocket and make it easier for the patient to keep the area clean. This common surgery involves lifting back the gums and removing the tartar and cleaning the area. The gums are then sutured back in place around the tooth again. After surgery, the gums will heal and fit more tightly around the tooth. This sometimes results in a reduction of gums making the teeth longer.
Bone and Tissue Grafts
In addition to flap surgery guided tissue regeneration can be used in severe cases to compensate for lost bone. in this technique, natural or synthetic bone is placed in the area of bone loss, can help promote bone growth. In this procedure, a small piece of mesh-like material is inserted between the bone and gum tissue. This keeps the gum tissue from growing into the area where the bone should be, allowing the bone and connective tissue to regrow. In cases where gum tissue has been lost soft tissue graft can be performed with a synthetic material or tissue taken from another area of the mouth and used to cover exposed tooth roots and defects.
Success Rate
Since each case is different, it is very hard to estimate the success rate of surgical treatments. Treatment results depend on many things, including how far the disease has progressed, how well the patient keeps up with oral care at home, and certain risk factors, such as smoking, which may lower the chances of success. Our team will advise you about your estimated individual success rate along with all risk and benefits.
