“periodontal disease”

Introduction

Parodontitis, in the vernacular unfortunately wrongly called periodontosis, is an inflammatory disease of the periodontium (par= um; odontos= the tooth; -itis= inflammation). Worldwide, the frequency of severe periodontal disease is estimated to be up to 12%, making it the sixth most common disease. The periodontium has the task of anchoring the tooth in the bone. If the tooth breaks down due to inflammation, it can loosen the tooth and ultimately lead to tooth loss. This process often causes little to no pain, so that many affected people know nothing of their disease if they do not go to the dentist regularly for check-ups.

Causes of periodontitis

Periodontitis is caused by certain bacteria and inflammatory reactions in the body. Thus, the presence of bacteria is a necessary condition for the development of periodontal disease. The most important bacteria classified as promoting periodontitis are “Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans” or “Porphyromonas gingivalis”.

When the chronic form of periodontitis develops, plaque (soft plaque on the teeth) develops first. If this plaque is not removed by brushing, after a few days an inflammation of the gums at the gumline and later also tartar develops. In addition to the metabolic products of the bacteria in the plaque, tartar is an irritant for the gums (gingiva), which after about 7 days react inflammatory (gingivitis).

If oral hygiene is now optimized, the gingivitis heals after about one week. However, if this inflammation continues, the periodontium, consisting of gums and the connective tissue and bone surrounding the tooth, begins to retract. We speak of periodontitis.

In this case microorganisms and tartar get under the gums (concrements) and so-called gum pockets develop. These can no longer be cleaned independently at home. In the worst case, the degradation, in combination with the body’s own immune response, can lead to irreversible bone loss, even to tooth loosening and loss. The degradation of the periodontium is promoted by other factors such as overloading (grinding), tooth position (difficult brushing), smoking or incorrect nutrition as well as some general illnesses, such as diabetes mellitus. The risk of periodontal disease in smokers is usually 5 times higher than in non-smokers.