Symptoms of periodontitis
Periodontitis often occurs without pain and is therefore only noticed when teeth begin to loosen or migrate. An early sign can be bleeding gums or swelling of the gums. Puss and a bad taste can also be warning signs.
Also, if your diabetes is difficult to control, you should consider a periodontitis clarification. Many periodontitis patients also notice bad breath (halitosis). This is usually caused by sulfur compounds of gram-negative bacteria.
The so-called pockets form between the tooth and gums. In a healthy gingiva, the gums lie directly against the tooth, so that the gum furrow is no deeper than 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. If it is possible to slide deeper into it with an instrument, this indicates a pathological change, because the gum should be attached to the tooth by fibres and should lie close to it so that it cannot be felt with a dentist’s probe.
A distinction is also made between pseudo pockets and recessions. Pseudo-pockets occur when the gums swell up on the tooth and grow high along the tooth. Thus, the pockets seem to lengthen because the path grows up to the attached gingiva.
This is often the result of medication (e.g. immunosuppressants). One speaks of recessions when the free gums or even the attached gum recedes and the neck of the tooth or the root is exposed. Although it may no longer be possible to feel a pocket, the receding gums are still considered to be recessionary.
The main cause for the formation of gum pockets is bacterial plaque, which has not been removed from the gum line for 14 days. The tissue reacts to the metabolic products and toxins that the bacteria secrete with a local inflammation, which manifests itself through tissue degradation.The pockets become deeper and cannot be cleaned when brushing your teeth at home, so that more bacteria accumulate there and a vicious circle develops. Without intervention, the process continues to progress to the jawbone and periodontitis has formed.
The unpleasant odors are caused by waste products of bacteria that contribute to the formation of plaque. They convert nutrients into bad smelling products. Most of them are simple sugars that are transformed into butyric acid or ammonia.
Products containing sulfur can also be formed. In addition, when the gums and periodontium are destroyed, decay products are formed which can also cause bad breath. The smell is usually very sour and acrid.
With periodontitis treatment, the bad breath usually disappears quickly. The first symptoms of periodontitis already show themselves as simple gingivitis. Gingivitis always precedes periodontitis, but periodontitis does not necessarily have to develop.
Basically, inflammation generates heat, the gums become reddish in color and swell up. At first, no pain occurs. Conscious pain comes only when the gum inflammation progresses further and one speaks of periodontitis.
The teeth usually hurt when chewing, the gums hurt when touching them. However, paradoxically, in the case of a long-standing periodontitis disease, the gums are usually no longer painful. The plaque is not only above but also below the gums.
As soon as pockets form there, food remains can easily get caught there. In serious cases, pus can emerge from the gums. This also leads to bad breath.
