What is Gum Therapy?
Periodontitis (per-e-o-don-TIE-tis), also called gum disease, is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue around teeth. Without treatment, periodontitis can destroy the bone that supports your teeth. This can cause teeth to loosen or lead to tooth loss.
Periodontitis is common but can usually be prevented. It's often the result of not taking care of your mouth and teeth. To help prevent periodontitis or improve your chance of successful treatment, brush at least twice a day, floss daily, and get regular dental checkups.
Plaque forms on your teeth when starches and sugars in food interact with bacteria commonly found in your mouth. Brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day removes plaque, but plaque quickly comes back. Plaque can harden under your gumline into tartar if it stays on your teeth. Tartar is more difficult to remove. You can't get rid of it by brushing and flossing—you need a professional dental cleaning to remove it. Because plaque and tartar are filled with bacteria, the longer they stay on your teeth, the more damage they can do.
Ongoing gum irritation and swelling, called inflammation, can cause periodontitis. Eventually, this causes deep pockets to form between your gums and teeth. These pockets fill with plaque, tartar, and bacteria and become deeper over time. If not treated, these deep infections cause a loss of tissue and bone. Eventually, you may lose one or more teeth. Also, ongoing inflammation can put a strain on your immune system, causing other health problems.
Symptoms
Healthy gums are firm and fit snugly around teeth. The color of healthy gums can vary. They may range from light pink in some people to dark pink and brown in others.
Symptoms of periodontitis can include:
- Swollen or puffy gums.
- Bright red, dark red or dark purple gums.
- Gums that feel tender when touched.
- Gums that bleed easily.
- A toothbrush that looks pink after brushing your teeth.
- Spitting out blood when brushing or flossing your teeth.
- Bad breath that won't go away.
- Pus between your teeth and gums.
- Loose teeth or loss of teeth.
- Painful chewing.
- New spaces that develop between your teeth that look like black triangles.
- Gums that pull away from your teeth, making your teeth look longer than usual, called receding gums.
- A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite.