What Is Periodontal Disease?

The most common cause of gingivitis is poor oral hygiene, which encourages plaque to form on teeth, causing inflammation of the surrounding gum tissue that can also cause bleeding of the gums. If gingivitis is left untreated it can turn into periodontitis, which is the second stage of gum disease and more serious.

Gingivitis is a type of periodontal disease and is when the gums are inflamed. The gums in the teeth destroy the tissues because of the inflammation and infection known as periodontal disease (MedlinePlus n. pag.). Gingivitis typically precedes periodontitis but it is important to understand that not all gingivitis progresses to periodontitis (“Gum Disease” n. pag.).

Plaque builds up on the teeth and when it is not removed it can harden and form tartar. When gingivitis is not treated, it can turn in to periodontitis, and then gums pull away from the teeth and form pockets that become infected. Then the teeth start to break down. If not treated, the teeth are usually extracted. Noma causes tissue deterioration.

Periodontitis, also known as periodontal disease, is a common and severe gum disease that damages the gums, ligaments, and bone surrounding the teeth (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). The gums and ligaments become infected and die due to exposure of bacteria and other pathogens. As the infection worsens, the teeth are more exposed below the crown. Below the crown a tooth is the root. It does not have much enamel compared to the crown because it does not normally come in contact with food or caries-creating material.

“The feeding results in plaque, which is a gummy film that covers the teeth. The plaque will then harden and form tartar. Tartar and other toxic byproducts when left unchecked can lead to much more serious problems of inflammation and infection of the gums. In more serious cases, the body fighting back could lead to weakening of the tooth root structure and inevitably needing to be replaced with dentures.” (Vinocur) Quoting Cherae Farmer-Dixon, D.D.S., project director of community-based dental education at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, "We don't see the dentist unless our teeth bother us." Johnson goes on, “the big problem with the wait-'til-it-hurts plan is that periodontal or gum disease--the leading cause of tooth loss--is often painless in its early form.

This creates pockets that allow bacteria to build up, which leads to an infection. As your body fights the harmful bacteria, the bone and tissue holding the teeth in place begin breaking down. The pockets deepen and begin filling with pus. Once you reach this stage, you may need to have surgery to save your teeth. If not treated, the infection begins destroying the bone around the teeth.

These toxins irritate the gums and cause the body¡¯s natural defenses to kick in. When the inflammatory response has been triggered for a while it causes the tissues that support the teeth and bone to break down. The gums begin to pull away from the tooth and a pocket forms. A pocket is a space between the gums and teeth. The deeper the pocket is (in millimeters), the further the gums are from the tooth, and the more advanced the Periodontal disease is.

Effect of Tobacco Smoking on Dental Caries Introduction Dental caries commonly known as tooth decay is a demineralization process of the tooth structure mainly due to bacteria. It could be caused by risk factors such as dryness of the mouth, poor oral hygiene, frequent high sugar intake, acidic environment etc. In this paper, I would like to discuss if smoking can directly cause any increase in dental caries. Significance Smoking tobacco can cause various harmful effects to the body including lung cancer, kidney cancer, heart problems, delayed wound healing and dental caries. Smoking causes dryness of the mouth which can lead to dental caries.

Dentin is what gives teeth their color” (WebMD, 2010). “Once eroded, neither the enamel nor the dentin can be replaced” (Dentistry, 2013). After erosion occurs and the dentin is exposed, teeth will then become more susceptible to cavities and infections as germs can find entry into one’s teeth. At first, these germs will cause cavities. Ritchie notes that cavaties are formed when a “specific type of bacteria that naturally lives in one’s mouth produces an acid to eat at the food or drink that one eats which contains high amounts of sugars.

When someone lacks to take the proper steps to maintaining good oral health, bacteria will start to from. Poor oral health can cause serious illness to attack the blood stream. The bacteria that gum disease is cause from plaque build up. Gum disease can cause the gums to turn black. “Gum Disease was report to be leading cause to other health problems” (American Dental Hygienist Association).