Periodontal (Gum) Diseases: Types, Causes, Prevention, Home Remedies And Treatment

Periodontal disease is also known as gum disease. It ranges from simple gum inflammation to critical ones. It is common among the adult. This disease can affect the bone and soft tissues of the mouth. It can even leads to teeth lost. It is common in adult than in teenagers. It commonly affect the molar tooth.

 

Causes of Gum Disease

Bacteria are present in the mouth. They are the cause of plaque on the teeth when they come in contact with mucus and food particles. Regular brushing and flossing can help prevent and remove this plaque. Dentist helps in removing hard and longtime plaque. The plaques become harmful with time.

Smoking is a risk factor for gum disease development and even lowers the success of medical treatment.

Medications- some medications reduces the flow of saliva in the mouth. Saliva is a protective and cleansing agent in the mouth.

Certain diseases like diabetes can cause gum disease. Also people with compromised immune system may also suffer from gum disease.

What are the signs and symptoms of gum diseases?

• Tender, swollen, and receding gum
• Deep pocket formation between the teeth and gum
• One or two teeth may loose and shift
• Bleeding gum while brushing and sometimes after brushing the teeth
• Bad breath
• White plaque or spot seen on the gum
• Pus between the gums or teeth
• A bad taste
• Tooth sensitivity
• Poor teeth alignment

 

 

Types of Gum Diseases

There is gingivitis and periodontitis gum disease

 The inflammation of the gum when it is caused by bacteria is called “gingivitis”. The signs of gingivitis include red and swollen gum. Bleeding may be observed while brushing. It is mostly not accompanied with bone or tooth loss. Gingivitis is a not a serious gum disease since it can be reversed by brushing and flossing regularly.

Periodontitis occurs when gingivitis is not taken care of. It is the serious form of gingivitis when inflammation occurs around the tooth and space is form between the teeth and gum. It can result in bone, teeth and soft tissue loss. There are different forms of periodontitis which include aggressive, chronic and necrotizing periodontal diseases.

Chronic periodontitis is the most common form of periodontitis. It is characterized with inflammation in the teeth supporting tissues, pocket formation and bone loss.

Aggressive periodontitis is characterized with rapid attachment loss and bone destruction. It is seen in clinically healthy people.

Necrotizing periodontal disease is commonly seen in immune depressed patient like in malnutrition and HIV infection. It results in necrosis or tissue death of alveolar bone, gingival tissues and periodontal ligaments.

Diagnosis of Gum Disease by Dental Team

Below are the methods and symptoms that are useful in diagnosing gum diseases;

Gum measurement- a periodontal probe is used by a dentist to measure the length of pocket depth. This is done on all the teeth. You have a severe gum disease when the length is beyond 3mm deep.

X-ray examination- X-ray is taken to check for the position and condition of the underlying bone in case there had been loss of bone to the periodontal disease.

Check for sensitivity of tooth- area of tooth sensitivity may help in locating the area of receding gum and diseased region.

Check for symptoms of gum disease- a dentist will examine the gum to look for some of the symptoms listed above 

Prevention of Gum Diseases

The prevention of gum diseases are really simple. Good oral hygiene helps to prevent gum diseases which include regular brushing and flossing of the teeth. Other ways to prevent gum diseases is to quit smoking, reduce stress, have enough sleep, and limit sugary foods. Sleep and stress reduction help to improve the immune system and fight against infections.  Eat a balance diet to also keep the immune system healthy and strong.

Home Remedies for Gum Diseases

Before visiting your dentist or periodontist, you can try this home remedies. If there is no improvement, consult your health care.

Green tea- the antioxidant property of green tea helps to reduce inflammation associated with gum diseases.

Baking soda- baking soda helps to neutralize acids that are formed by bacteria in the mouth. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water. Use it to rinse your mouth after brushing.

Salt water- warm salt water has anti-inflammatory effect that helps to reduce swollen associated with gum diseases. It also helps to kill bacteria that cause plaque formation in the mouth. You can use it to gaggle your mouth once in two days as over use can cause damage to the teeth.

Hydrogen peroxide- it also helps to kill bacteria responsible for plaque formation.

Oil pulling- coconut oil, olive oil or sesame oil helps to reduce bacteria as well. Daily use of it shows improved treatment of gum disease.it helps to pull toxins out of mouth.

Aloe Vera- It has anti-inflammatory property that helps to reduce the red and swollen gum.

Neem- it is a traditional healing plant. it has antimicrobial and anti fungal property and thus can be use in curing gum diseases. it can be used in brushing the teeth.

Treatment of Gum Diseases

Periodontists are trained specialist that diagnose and treat diseases of the bone in the mouth and gum. They carry out surgical and non-surgical procedures in treating gum diseases. They also carry out dental implant, gum and bone graft, gingivoplasty and crown lengthening.  

The goal of treatment for gingivitisis is to identify and eliminate the factors responsible for the gum disease. Some of the risk factors have been discus above and they may include diabetes, smoking and bacteria.

Surgical procedure in treating periodontitis is called flap surgery and may be combined with pocket reduction surgery. Anesthetic may be administered to create numbness. Then the gums are lifted up to clean the teeth and reshape the gum. Then the gums are repositioned in a way that the deep pockets are eliminated. Soft tissue grafts are used to cover area exposed by the receding gum.  

Another therapy used to treat gum disease is laser therapy. In this therapy, deep pockets are treated using soft tissues, which help to remove any harmful bacteria present in the teeth.

In treating gingivitis and periodontal diseases, antibiotics therapy are combined in different ways in treatment. Antibiotics mouthwashes are also use for example the Peridex used under dentist supervision. This antibiotics mouthwash helps to reduce bacteria.

Root planning and deep scaling are also done. PerioChip that has antibiotics doxycycline are placed in gum pocket to kill bacteria and also reduce the periodontal pocket size. The PerioChip may come in form of pellet or gel.

NSAIDs are also used to reduce and prevent pain.