Do you often ignore gum swelling or red-coloured gums? Do you want to know what these symptoms are trying to tell you? 

Disease awareness is the baseline of a healthy and sustainable life. The oral cavity is one of the important parts of our body, and hence, oral hygiene is a fundamental aspect of overall health. Digestion begins in the mouth, and poor oral hygiene can lead to other diseases.

Signs like persistent gum swelling or redness could indicate the start of a gum infection. If not treated in time by a dentist. It can progress to severe conditions like Periodontitis that require careful medical attention and can lead to complications.

This article helps you understand Periodontitis and everything related to it so that you can take proactive steps toward maintaining your gum health and overall well-being.  

Understanding Periodontitis

Periodontitis is a severe gum infection characterized by the infection of tissues around the tooth, which, if neglected, can lead to the destruction of supporting bone surrounding the tooth structure. 

Detection of signs and symptoms at an early stage is the key to coping with this infection, along with proper medical guidance from an experienced dentist. 

Here are the clinical features of Periodontitis to look out for, which will help you opt for timely treatment. 

Early Signs of Periodontitis

Periodontitis is an inflammatory condition and so, and its early signs include signs, like: 

• Pain at the site of infection near tissues of affected teeth or gums.
• Swelling of gums, tender and sensitive to touch, causes difficulty in chewing. 
• Redness & irritation at the site of infection. 
• Bleeding from affected gums.

Sometimes, you may notice bleeding from gums without pain and redness. At this stage, you may overlook the signs due to which the infection may progress further and show advanced symptoms. 

Advanced Symptoms of Periodontitis

As discussed, Periodontitis may cause clinical features without pain. If ignored, such conditions may lead to chronic or aggressive Periodontitis with signs like:

• Abscess formation – A pus-filled pocket or abscess forms around the tooth and gums. 
• Fever with chills.
• Painful & tender gums and teeth.
• Swelling around jaws. 
• Loosening of teeth.
• Bad breath. 
• Difficulty in chewing. 
• Swollen and puffy gums

Causes of Periodontitis 

Educating ourselves on the probable causes of disease will help us to prevent the further deterioration of health.

So let’s understand the causative factors of Periodontitis.

• Bacterial Plaque

The primary cause of Periodontitis is bacterial colonization in the oral tissue. Bacterial plaque is an inflammatory response of the body that serves the purpose of protection, but this causes the loosening of teeth, loss of periodontal tissue, and pocket or pus formation.  

• Poor oral hygiene

A common cause of Periodontitis is neglecting oral hygiene. Being ignorant about hygiene leads to dental plaque, a sticky layer of bacteria that constantly forms on your teeth. Careful cleaning through regular brushing and flossing can prevent plaque formation.

• Tobacco

Chewing tobacco causes various gum diseases like Periodontitis, gingivitis, loosening of teeth, tooth decay, and white and grey patches called leukoplakia, which can lead to cancer.

• Genetic factors

Periodontitis is influenced by heredity. Knowing your family medical history in detail will guide you regarding your susceptibility to Periodontitis. Be aware and educate your family members about preventive measures if Periodontitis runs in your family.

• Hormonal imbalance

Hormones regulate our whole body, and any imbalance can trigger a higher risk of infection and inflammation, leading to gum diseases like Periodontitis. 

• Other medical conditions

Medical conditions, including diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and allergies, can cause Periodontitis. Because of such already existing medical conditions, the person becomes susceptible to various infections.  

Treatment of Periodontitis

Here is the vital part of our discussion, the solution to our problem. It is important to treat the disease correctly to avoid further disease complications.

The treatment plan is decided after a thorough clinical examination by a dentist or oral surgeon at a reputed dental care hospital.

Diagnosis of Periodontitis 

A dentist will diagnose the Periodontitis with a complete clinical and physical evaluation. Dental X-rays are taken to evaluate the severity of the disease. The dentist will decide between non-surgical and surgical treatment methods depending on the severity of the symptoms. 

Non-surgical treatments for Periodontitis  

• Oral medications and antibiotics – Topical and oral antibiotics are used to treat Periodontitis, depending on the severity of symptoms. Antibiotics can be prescribed in the form of mouth rinses, gels, and oral antibiotics. 
• Gum prophylaxis – It is the treatment method of removing plaque and tartar from the mouth. This method also includes removing stains on the teeth 
• Scaling and Root Planning. – This includes deep cleaning of the dental plaque, which will help you to get rid of the tartar that gives rise to the formation of bacteria. 

Surgical treatment methods for Periodontitis

Surgical treatment is prescribed for cases with severe or advanced symptoms to provide significant relief. 

• Guided tissue regeneration: This procedure helps restore the structure and functions of the gum tissues lost due to Periodontitis. 
• Laser flap surgery: A laser is used to target and destroy the germs lodged in periodontal pockets and unhealthy tissues on the gums.
• Bone grafts: In severe cases of Periodontitis, bone loss may happen. For such conditions, bone graft treatment is performed to reverse the dental bone loss..  
• Soft tissue grafts: In this procedure, soft healthy tissues are used as grafts which helps in regenerating the tissue lost due to severe Periodontitis.  

Prevention of Periodontitis: 

Many causative or trigger factors of gum disease are man-made. We can put our efforts into minimizing them for our better health. 

Here are the ways that will help us to prevent diseases like Periodontitis. 

• Good Oral hygiene practices: Plan an oral hygiene routine, and be loyal to it. Consider brushing your teeth twice, along with gargles, after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

• Regular Dental checkups: Your dentist will guide you regarding your oral health condition with a proper clinical examination. Hence, regular health checkups are a must to maintain your oral health. Regular dental cleanings will help you remove dental plaque and tartar which prohibit bacterial growth and help you to prevent further complications. 
• Healthy lifestyle choices: Healthy choices like avoiding tobacco and alcohol consumption, completing your sleep cycle, connecting with nature, work-life balance, and managing stress will help you prevent infections by improving your immunity. 
• Management of primary health conditions: Manage diabetes mellitus and hormonal imbalance by proper medical guidance & treatment. Regular health checkups, taking medications to control blood sugar, an exercise routine, and a diet plan will help you manage the symptoms. 

Conclusion 

Detecting the signs and symptoms at an early stage of infection and getting proper guidance from a reputed dental care hospital can go a long way to preventing gum disease from aggravating.

We at Gnathos Dental provide you with cost-effective and personalized care for Periodontitis. Along with non-surgical treatments, like medical management with antibiotics, Root planning, and Gum prophylaxis, we are also experts in Laser flap surgery, bone grafting and other surgical procedures.

We provide a full range of dental treatments for all your needs using state-of-the-art equipment and the latest techniques at our well-equipped dental care hospital in Hyderabad.