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Gum Disease /
Periodontitis
This is a very serious
dental disease.
Very few people are educated
about this disease. Gum
disease
is the
GREATEST cause of tooth loss in
adults! According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), 10 - 15% of the world
population or
600 - 900 MILLION people are
suffering from severe Periodontal /
Gum disease.
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WHAT IS
PERIODONTITIS / GUM
DISEASE?
In plain
terms this mean
"inflammation of the gums and
underlying
bone". Marked
by
tender, bleeding or swollen
gums,
Periodontal / Gum
Disease is a very
real threat to many
patients.
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Red, Swollen
Gums |
HOW DOES IT
START?
-
It
starts as
"Gingivitis"
*
(inflammation
of the
gums)
-
It
can be localized or
effects the entire
mouth depending on
how the patient
cleans his/her
gums.
-
Gingivitis is
totally reversible and good
brushing and flossing will
clear it up in a few
days.
-
Hardly any
discomfort is felt.
Gum disease can
easily be
ignored
-
Smoking
masks the bleeding,
because it reduces
blood flow in the
smaller veins.
Inflammation*:
Red,
slightly swollen gums that
bleed easily when touched.
It is a local reaction to
plague, not an
infection.
Ignoring
the symptoms of
gingivitis may
lead to the spreading of this
infection to
the deeper layers of the BONE
and TOOTH ATTACHING FIBERS.
Once the infection has
progressed to this
level and the BONE itself is
infected, it is called
Periodontitis
("-itis" means inflammation).
There is
NO Permanent
CURE for
this disease.
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Gingivitis
Severe case of
Periodontitis |
WHAT VARIATIONS OF
PERIODONTITIS /GUM
DISEASE
The 2 variations of
Periodontitis / Gum
Disease are Slow and Rapid
Periodontitis
. You
have anything from a few years to decades
before you will start losing your
teeth. Without
treatment, losing some or all of your
teeth are inevitable.
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PERIODONTITIS / GUM DISEASE
DIAGNOSIS AND
SYMPTOMS
Only
the dentist
can
diagnose this by measuring
'probing depth' around the
teeth.Initially there
are no symptoms, because gum
disease happens very slowly and
the patient is unaware of it.
The teeth become mobile and
appear longer as the gum
recedes (falsely identified as
part of the aging process
-"getting long in the
tooth"). A
terrible
smell is
present in severe cases, called
Halitosis, but
the patient is unaware of this,
because of the slow-developing
nature of this
disease.
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Periodontitis |
PERIODONTITIS / GUM
DISEASE RISK
-
People who
are diabetic
have an increase
risk.
-
Smoking is
one of the greatest risk
factors due to the negative
effect on the blood vessels
in the
gum.
-
Incorrect
brushing (too
hard / poor brush quality
and the wrong brushing
technique)
-
Teeth griding
/
Bruxism
-
Position of
the teeth in the bone
(skew teeth collects
more plaque and are
much more difficult
to keep
clean.)
-
Genetic
component (Often
history of parents with gum
disease)
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There
is
NO
CURE
for Periodontitis / Gum
Disease.
There
is
ONLY
TREATMENT
available
that involves
maintenance.
If
you are diagnosed with
Periodontitis / Gum
Disease,
ACT
DRASTICALLY
and
together we will
help
you to keep
your teeth a
lifetime!
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TREATMENT FOR
PERIODONTITIS / GUM
DISEASE
-
Home care
programmes (see Periodontal
Programme) are a must for the
patient to help establish a
new cleaning
routine.
-
Regular follow
up visits to the specialist to
monitor maintenance
(Periodontal Programme coming
soon!)
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Drastic
treatment very often means
referring the patient to a
Periodontist (Gum
Specialist). The
specialist will physically
remove the debri and plague
from below the gum level to
stimulate the re-growth of
healthy tissue.
CARE FOR PERIODONTITIS / GUM
DISEASE RISK
Although there is a
strong genetic component regarding this
disease, it is very important to do
whatever you can to prevent this
infection from getting out of
control:
Proxabrushes
Soft Pics |
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Biteplate For
Grinding |
Make an
appointment and
start manage &
prevent Gum
Disease today!
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