Periodontitis, or periodontal disease, is a more advanced stage of gum disease compared with gingivitis. Plaque and calculus build up around your teeth and gums and in some people, gingivitis can turn into periodontitis. The inflammation caused by this plaque can activate your body’s immune response to the germs. And in some people, this response becomes so big that the tissue that surrounds the tooth (gum, periodontal ligament, bone) gets destroyed. Unfortunately, the damage is irreversible. The Texas City Dental in Texas City is conveniently located near to La Marque, Galveston, and Hitchcock area is conveniently located near to the HEB and ROSS market complex is the best option available and low-cost dental clinics near me .
If left untreated, you may end up losing the affected teeth. But wait, unfortunately, there’s more! Periodontitis is also linked to a bunch of other health conditions like heart disease, type II diabetes, pre-term and low birth weight babies and most recently, it has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease! And one of the worst things about periodontitis disease (apart from infection, toothache, losing teeth) is that it’s usually a slowly progressing disease. This means that like termites hidden inside the walls of your house, it goes unnoticed until irreversible damage has occurred!
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PERIODONTITIS?
While gum disease may progress slowly and painlessly (not every case), there are some symptoms that you should look out for. They include:
- Gums that bleed during and after brushing
- Swollen and red gums
- Receding gums
- Persistent bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth
- Tenderness when biting
- Loose teeth, or teeth that have moved or shifted over time
- Changes to your bite or fit of partial dentures
- Be on your toes. Even if you don’t have any of these symptoms, it doesn’t mean you don’t suffer from periodontitis.
This can lead to a rude awakening at your next trip to the dentist. We often see patients who have been suffering from no pain or problems, that have underlying periodontitis. They’ve probably suffered from it for years. These poor people can be surprised by the diagnosis because they’ve always thought that no pain means no problem.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE PERIODONTITIS?
Your dental professional is the only person who can tell you if you suffer from gum diseases like gingivitis or periodontitis. And, a simple visual inspection simply doesn’t cut it when it comes to a thorough diagnosis.
When periodontitis is present, the gums and ligaments surrounding the tooth pull away from the tooth. This results in a “pocket” which can only be detected with a periodontal probe.
During your regular checkup appointments, your dentist should always measure the depth of these “pockets” to assess for any gum disease. The probe is basically a super skinny, super tiny “ruler” which measures how deep these “pockets” are. The depth of the pocket indicates how far the disease has progressed. The deeper the pocket, the worse the gum disease.
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