Gingivitis : You've heard the
terms on television ads, seen them in
print ads, and noticed them on the labels
of an assortment of dental products. What
do terms like gingivitis, plaque, tartar,
and periodontal disease really
mean?
Doctors and dentists speaking
"doctor talk" often forget that the rest of us
do not. Advertising companies also like to use
these terms because it makes their products
sound more scientific and more effective.
Let's find out what they are talking
about.
Our mouth is full of
bacteria. In fact, our entire body is covered
with bacteria! These organisms are so small
that it takes a microscope to see them. In a
healthy mouth there is a natural balance of
different bacterial species. This natural
balance keeps any one species of bacteria from
becoming too strong or out of balance so as to
dominate. When any one group or family of
bacteria begin to dominate their levels of
toxins increase to a point where they stimulate
the immune system and cause an
infection.
Brushing and flossing remove
bacteria from the mouth preventing them from
overgrowing. You can never completely get rid
of all the bacteria in your mouth but brushing
and flossing make sure the number of bacteria
you do have is in a safe range. A common
mistake many people make is to brush but not
floss. This allows bacteria to build up to
dangerous levels between the teeth where
brushing alone can not reach.
Plaque is
simply a sticky yellowish-white film composed
of bacteria, small particles, proteins, and
mucus. This plaque continuously accumulates on
the teeth and gums.
With proper brushing and
flossing plaque is easily removed. If plaque is
not removed by brushing and flossing, over
time, plaque will calcify (harden).
This
hardened plaque is known as tartar and can no
longer be removed with simple brushing and
flossing. It must be removed by a
dentist.
The problem with plaque and
tartar is that the longer they are left on the
teeth and gums, the more harmful the bacteria
in the plaque and tartar become. These harmful
bacteria begin to dominate. Many of these more
nasty bacteria are anaerobes meaning that
oxygen will kill them. How do they survive in
the mouth?
They survive in the inner
parts of the plaque where oxygen can not reach
them. In addition, large clumps of bacterial
plaque at the gum line will prevent oxygen from
reaching areas under the gum line. These oxygen
poor regions are fertile environments for the
more hostile anaerobic bacteria.
The more harmful bacteria
release toxins which damage the gums. They also
cause gum infection and inflammation which
activates the immune system. This inflammation of the gums is called
gingivitis and is the first stage of gum
disease.
To prevent gingivitis all you
need to do is keep the bacterial populations in
balance by flossing, brushing, and rinsing with
an anti-microbial rinse which removes excess
bacteria. Proper home dental care can remove
plaque. Professional cleanings during routine
dental visits remove tartar which harbors and
nurtures the proliferation of the undesirable
bacteria.
If left unchecked, however,
gingivitis may progress to periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease is
primarily caused by a "silent" and "painless"
bacterial infection of the bone and ligaments
which hold the teeth in
place.
Periodontal disease will
cause bone to erode and teeth to progressively
loosen to a point where normal chewing causes
them to fall out !
In periodontal disease the
inflamed gums will pull away from the teeth.
Normally there is a small 1-3 mm space between
your gums and teeth. This space is known as the
periodontal pocket. In periodontal disease,
this space becomes much deeper. A dentist can
check the width of this space with a probe and
thereby tell you if you have periodontal
disease.
Other signs of periodontal
disease include:
- Bad breath
- Red or swollen
gums
- Loose teeth
- Sensitive
teeth
- Pus coming from around
the teeth
- Pain on
chewing
- Tender gums
- Bleeding
gums.
Treatment of periodontal disease sometimes
requires surgery. The best advice that we can
give is for people to prevent periodontal
disease by brushing and flossing to remove
plaque and seeing a dentist regularly (every
six months) to remove any tartar that might
build up. As the saying goes, an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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Diigo
