Why Dental Plaque Leads to Tooth Loss

Why Dental Plaque Leads to Tooth Loss

Spread the love

Periodontal disease is characterized by occasional gingival bleeding, dental plaque and declining or swollen gums, but it is difficult to detect for patients, especially in the early stages. So when it comes to periodontal disease treatment naples fl dentists say it should be divided into three parts: a pre-treatment, then the actual therapy, and finally follow-up treatment. 

What Is Periodontitis? 

It is one of the most common forms of dental disease. It’s bacterial inflammation that arises above and below the gingival margin, in the gums. Bacteria, which are initially on the tooth surface, can gradually penetrate to the tooth root. When bacteria is allowed to grow, it multiplies. Typically, inadequate care and poor oral hygiene is the root cause, but this is also a multi-factorial disease. Risk factors include smoking, a genetic disposition or diabetes. 

Usually the periodontal disease is a consequence of a lack of dental care, as it forms a permanently adherent bacterial plaque on the tooth surface. Plaque deposits calcifies, and hard tartar forms. As the bacteria settle permanently on the tooth, they lead to inflammatory processes that continuously flare up. 

These long-term inflammatory processes can cause the gums to recede, and no longer close to the tooth, the gums finally allow a gap to develop between them and the tooth. Dentists then speak of gum pockets. Here bacteria can accumulate and cause inflammation and bleeding, and bone loss. 

Periodontitis is initially not painful and is often discovered late. If left untreated, it leads to bone loss and tooth loss. Dentists distinguish a mild, a moderate and a severe form of the disease. Through with therapy, the disease cannot be reversed, but the repercussions can be halted. 

What Are the Treatment Options? 

The Pre-treatment: In the first phase of the treatment, patients receive instructions for their own oral hygiene in order to be able to remove the bacterial plaque daily as completely as possible. Soft and hard tartar are also removed in the dental office. Likewise, irritating factors such as protruding fillings or caries are removed. If necessary, root canals are filled, or non-maintainable teeth are pulled before the main phase. 

The Systematic Perio treatment is where a dentist removes deposits on difficult-to-access periodontal pockets and on the surfaces of the tooth necks and tooth roots. This so-called “subgingival scaling” or “deep scaling” that takes place under local anesthesia. In some cases, the gums are cut open at the inflamed areas and folded back so that the areas to be cleaned are better accessible. If the periodontitis has attacked the bone, it can be treated. Finally, the gum is sutured so that it will once again fit snugly against the tooth. 

Post-treatment: At regular intervals, the teeth and gums are checked, the periodontal pockets are measured and any tartar is removed. This aftercare is referred to as supportive periodontitis therapy. The distances between treatments depend on the severity of the disease. It’s important to have yearly dental exams, thus it’s the only way to catch periodontal disease in the early stages, which leads to a more successful outcome.

Health & Fitness