Have you experienced having swollen gums that easily bleed? Is your breath smelling foul as well? You may be having gum disease or periodontitis. This is a very common gum disease that can affect the integrity of your jawbone and teeth. Read this article and visit https://www.beyond32dental.com.au/to know more about periodontitis and what you can do in cases where a simple gum disease turned into aggressive periodontitis.
Periodontitis: The cause
What do you think causes gum disease? The most sensible answer would be bad oral hygiene. You see, the food debris that is left inside your mouth can be nourishment to bacteria that can cause the buildup of plaque and cavities which may lead to tooth decay. The decays can go as low as underneath your teeth and into the gums which may cause infection and swelling. This infection, if left untreated can spread to other parts of the body through the blood vessels in your tooth roots.
Types of periodontitis
Your gum infection can be categorized into different types.
Chronic periodontitis is the most common type that affects patients old or young. This gum infection literally comes and goes, so the treatment may also be difficult. Patient with this chronic type may feel that their symptoms are improving at one point, but worsens after a few weeks. This can be dangerous to your teeth, gums, and jawbone since the damage can be slow but severe.
Aggressive periodontitis is a destructive type that progresses rapidly and is not associated with any systemic disease. Younger patients usually 25 years old and below are the ones afflicted by this condition.
Necrotizing periodontal disease is another type of gum infection that is characterized by necrosis or death of the gum tissue due to its severity. This is usually present in patients with HIV infection or those who underwent cancer treatments.
Aggressive periodontitis: Types and symptoms
Aggressive periodontitis can be localized or generalized. Localized happens when a child’s first molars and incisors are affected and become detached to the jaw bone prematurely. Generalized aggressive periodontitis affects almost all of the patient’s teeth. Aggressive periodontitis causes attachment loss of the teeth, bone destruction, and pain. Localized aggressive periodontitis can, later on, develop into a generalized one, so assessment, diagnosis, and treatment should be prompt and consistent as well.
Treatment of periodontitis
The treatment will depend on the severity of the infection. For a mild infection that does not include systemic infection, cleaning, scaling, and root planing can be performed to remove the plaque and cavity buildup. Your periodontists can also prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection to its core. However, if the infection is already considered severe, surgery may be the only solution. Your oral surgeon may recommend flap surgery to expose the infected inner gum tissue that needs to be removed and consider doing soft tissue grafts to reinforce tissue growth and prevent gum recession. If the gum infection damaged the jawbone, bone grafting should also be performed to ensure that all parts damaged and affected by the infection and removed. This prevents the infection from coming back.
