Gum disease causes?
Periodontitis is silent. Because it’s painless, you may not know you have it.
Plaque, bacteria, causes gum disease. Gum disease occurs when:
- Bacteria and food debris accumulate when you don’t clean around your teeth.
- Bacteria grow and mature throughout time, forming more complex structures.
- The body’s inherent defences detect microorganisms invading. It triggers inflammation to attract bacteria-fighting chemicals.
- The body rushes blood to the gums to fend off the infection, creating puffy, red, swollen gums. The gum pulls away from the tooth to avoid the bacteria, creating a ‘pocket’ This pocket permits bacteria to travel under the gum and colonise. Because you can’t clean behind the gum, bacteria proliferate and cause problems.
- Imagine the immune system’s assault against germs around the gums. In addition to killing and neutralising bacteria, ‘friendly fire’ destroys gum tissue. The teeth’s fibres, gums, and bone steadily deteriorate.
- The more bone that is lost, the looser the tooth becomes. You end up losing the tooth.
Is Gum Disease Common?
Many people have gum disease. In fact, it is one of the most common human diseases in the world. One recent, thorough study found that 47 percent of the people in the United States had gum disease of some kind. The study found that 30% of the people had moderate gum disease and 8% had severe gum disease.
Signs of Gum Disease
Bleeding gums – Gums that are healthy shouldn’t bleed. When there is blood, it means that there is inflammation, which almost always means that the gums are being damaged in some way. If you have gum disease, you will almost always have signs of bleeding. But if you don’t brush around your gums, you might not notice it as much because it might not happen. If they really do bleed, flossing will show you. Also, keep in mind that smoking cuts off blood flow to the gums, so bleeding may not be as noticeable if you smoke.
Bad Breath – Bad breath is most often caused by gum disease. There will be a lot of bad bacteria on your teeth, which will cause your body to release volatile sulphur compounds, which smell really bad.
Loose Teeth – This only happens in the late stages of gum disease, so if you’ve noticed it, go to the dentist right away to stop your teeth from getting any looser.
Drifting of teeth – When you have gum disease, the structures that hold your teeth in place will break down. This lets your teeth move around more freely. Most of the time, your teeth will want to stick out, which can leave gaps in your smile and make your teeth stick out.
Gum recession – Your gums will get smaller, letting the root surface of your teeth show through. This looks bad and can make your teeth more sensitive and more likely to decay and wear away.
Gum abscesses – Again, this only happens if your gum disease is very bad. Abscesses can be painful, and if they spread, they can cause problems all over your body, not just in your mouth.
For more information, please contact Shine Dental Care team on 01623 629391.