Periodontitis: What Causes It and How to Prevent and Treat it?

Even though our skeletal system might seem to have the simple role of keeping our figure together, it’s still an important role nonetheless. Our skeletal system isn’t just a mere frame our body uses. It’s also a living and breathing system that reacts to several body changes. This is evidenced by how it usually responds to operations, injuries, and other bodily changes.

But even though our skeletal system is one of the sturdiest systems in the body, it’s still subject to the test of time. For instance, osteoporosis is a clear and present danger to most elderly folks as their skeletal structure gets more brittle over time.

But the bone loss doesn’t just happen on just the body; it can also happen in the teeth and jaw. For a lot of elderly and even young individuals, bone loss in the jaw is still one of the most common types of bone loss. Although, it’s important not to confuse osteoporosis with periodontitis (gum disease), as the latter being a disease that affects most of the soft tissues and the teeth area. But to a certain extent, an advanced form of periodontitis can affect osteoporosis among older individuals.

Other than causing problems with the jaw, periodontitis is also known to affect the build-up of plaque on the teeth and can often lead to different types of serious diseases. 

What Causes Periodontitis?

But what causes bone loss for most adults? How can it be prevented? We’ll be discussing some ways of addressing the issue. 

Most cases suggest that dental plaque is one of the most common causes of periodontitis. Plaque on teeth is characterized by having a yellow or even colorless biofilm that naturally builds up o the teeth. This is caused by bacteria that multiply and build itself up on the teeth. While plaque can be just a mild annoyance to your appearance at times, it can also be a cause for concern since this can lead to diseases.

If plaque is not attended to, this can become tartar or calculus, which is a hardened form plaque. Tartar is really hard to treat, and you might need professional treatment for it. Thus, we must keep on brushing our teeth after eating our meals.

The gradual build-up of plaque can often lead to damaged teeth and the surrounding gums close to your teeth. Gingivitis is known as the first symptom of the problem, which is characterized by swelling in the gums. 

If this keeps on persisting, small pockets of plaque and bacteria will start growing on the teeth and gum area. The secretion of toxins can often lead to bone loss and destruction of tissue. Since it’s such a serious disease, what are some guaranteed ways of treating periodontitis in the teeth? 

Surgery 

There are two types of surgeries that are often done to counter tartar: 

1. Flap Surgery -The gums are lifted, and then tartar is removed. Right after all the tartar has been removed, the gums are then stitched to fit the teeth area. Gums will usually heal around the tooth, which gives a more “fulfilling” look.
2. Tissue and bone grafting – As the name suggests, this is used to proliferate bones and tissue growth in the gums that have been destroyed by the condition. Natural or human-made synthetic bones are placed to compensate for the mass of bones that are lost. 

At some point in our lives, we will need to have our wisdom teeth removed. As we have discussed, removing an affected tooth connected with our jaw can often lead to periodontitis. If you’re planning on getting your wisdom teeth removed, it’s best to have a professional with years of experience doing such an operation. Most professionals use advanced types of operations, such as bone and tissue grafting, that can stop bone loss in the jaw in its tracks.

Dental Hygiene

Preventing is better than treating a condition and having good dental hygiene is one of the best ways of preventing infection. Maintaining your teeth in a good and clean condition means that you won’t have to spend on treating periodontitis if it can be effectively prevented. Of course, brushing twice in a day and flossing out gaps on your teeth can help maintain your teeth in good condition.

If your gums and teeth seem a bit more sensitive than usual, you can use soft-picks for tight spaces in between your teeth. Most people who are having problems with the integrity of their jaw’s bones can use electric toothbrushes instead.

There are different ways to treat periodontitis, but prevention is always better than having to spend hundreds of dollars treating your gums and teeth. Even though plaque is a naturally-occurring phenomenon on our teeth, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we can’t keep our teeth clean. Good dental hygiene can come a long way.

Meta title: Effectively Preventing Periodontitis

Meta description: Our bones are one of the sturdiest parts of our bodies. But our teeth and our bones are also quite vulnerable to the buildup of plaque and bacteria. Here’s how periodontitis can cause complications and what you can do to stop it.