Table of contents
What Is Periodontitis?
Periodontitis is a serious form of periodontal disease caused by bacteria found in dental plaque and tartar. These bacteria can infect your gums, and the infection can spread to other structures around your teeth, including the jawbone.
Eventually, the destruction of these supportive structures around your teeth is so severe that it can lead to tooth loss.
What Causes Periodontitis?
Some people are more susceptible to developing periodontitis, but often the main cause is poor oral hygiene. Without proper care, periodontitis can progress into advanced periodontal disease, potentially requiring procedures such as deep cleaning, LANAP, bone graft, or even pinhole surgery to restore gum and bone health. Dental plaque continually forms over tooth surfaces and contains harmful bacteria.
Unless removed during brushing and flossing, plaque hardens into tartar within just a couple of days. Unlike plaque, tartar cannot be removed by brushing and flossing, as it is too hard to be removed by these methods.
All the time plaque and tartar remain on teeth, the bacteria contained within these substances will infect and inflame your gums. Eventually, they penetrate the gum tissue, reaching the jawbone underneath and the periodontal ligaments that hold teeth in their sockets.
The infection can be so bad that it causes gum loss, jawbone loss, and eventually, tooth loss.
There are some risk factors in addition to poor oral hygiene that can increase the chances of developing this condition, including:
- A family history of periodontal disease.
- Certain medical conditions, like high blood pressure or diabetes, make it harder to fight infection.
- Infrequent professional dental care.
- Hormonal changes that occur during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.
- Using tobacco products or vaping.
- Age, as developing gum disease becomes more common as you get older.
Symptoms of Periodontitis
The early symptoms of periodontitis are painless, so often people with this condition will have no idea that their gums are infected. Other, more noticeable symptoms can include:
- Bleeding gums when brushing and flossing or at other times.
- Gums that look red or purple and swollen.
- Pus developing around the gum line.
- Persistent bad breath.
- An unpleasant taste.
- Receding gums so teeth start to look longer, and you may begin to see your tooth roots.
- Changes to your bite as teeth start to loosen.
Often, the earliest sign of periodontitis is bleeding gums. If you notice this symptom, schedule an appointment with us at NYC Dentistry Center. It isn’t normal for healthy gums to bleed.
Diagnosing Periodontitis
This condition can be diagnosed as mild, moderate, or severe. The diagnosis depends on the extent of gum and bone destruction around each tooth, as well as the degree of inflammation.
Periodontitis can be diagnosed during any routine dental exam.
During this appointment, our dentist will inquire about any symptoms you have noticed or changes in your dental health. They will review your medical history to ask if there have been any changes since your last appointment. Our dentist will also want to know if you smoke.
Your gums will be examined for signs of inflammation. Digital dental X-rays are used to check for any bone loss around your teeth.
A periodontal probe, a small metal instrument, is used to measure the depth of periodontal pockets around teeth. A periodontal pocket is the space between a tooth and the gum, which can deepen when periodontitis is present.
Healthy gums have a depth of 3 mm or less. Anything over this depth can indicate gum and bone loss.
Managing and Treating Periodontitis
If we diagnose periodontitis, the recommended treatment plan will depend on whether the disease is mild or more severe. If necessary, we can refer you to our periodontal team for a full gum evaluation.
The recommended treatments can be either nonsurgical or surgical.
Nonsurgical Treatments for Periodontitis
Mild or more moderate periodontitis may only require non-surgical treatment to help restore good gum health.
Treatments can include the following.
Scaling and Root Planing
A scaling and root planing treatment is a deep cleaning procedure similar to a regular dental hygiene treatment. However, during this treatment, our hygienist will clean deeper around your gums, including any exposed tooth roots.
Oral Hygiene Instructions
We can review your current hygiene routine with you and suggest ways to improve it. Our hygiene team can demonstrate the latest techniques for thorough tooth cleaning and discuss the appropriate tools and products to use.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics can help fight the infection. These may be oral or topical. Sometimes topical antibiotics are placed into deeper periodontal pockets to help eliminate more severe infections.
Surgical Treatments
We provide a range of advanced surgical treatments for periodontitis. Our board-certified periodontists provide these services, ensuring you receive the very best periodontal care.
Treatments include the following.
Dental Bone Grafts
Dental bone grafts are used to rebuild your jawbone, replacing areas of bone that have been destroyed by periodontitis. A bone graft can help to stabilize loose teeth and provide better support for your gums.
Gum Grafting
Periodontitis often causes gum recession, exposing the tooth roots. Gum grafting can cover these exposed tooth roots, helping to protect them and stabilize the teeth, while also improving aesthetics.
Pinhole Gum Surgery
This is an advanced surgical technique that helps to rejuvenate gum tissue. It can be used to treat gum recession without the need for gum grafting.
LANAP Gum Surgery
LANAP gum surgery is a laser-based surgical technique designed to help treat advanced gum disease while preserving healthy gum tissue. The light emitted by a dental laser helps sterilize the treated areas and removes damaged gum tissue accurately, leaving healthy tissue intact.
Preventing Periodontitis
The most effective way to prevent periodontitis is to practice good oral hygiene at home combined with regular professional preventive dental care.
When you first visit our practice, we assess your risk for conditions like periodontitis and can provide a custom preventive dental care plan. If we believe your risk is higher, we may recommend more frequent hygiene appointments, as regularly removing plaque and tartar buildup will help you maintain healthy teeth and gums more easily.
Following your custom preventive plan closely will help reduce your risk of developing periodontitis. If you experience any early symptoms, periodontitis treatment in Midtown East allows us to diagnose and treat the condition more quickly, helping to avoid or minimize gum and bone loss.
NYC Dentistry Center6 E 45th St #801
New York, NY 10017
(45th St. btw 5th Ave / Madison Ave)
(212) 518-6096