Gum Diseases

October 15, 2020

4 min read

Gum diseases are not uncommon. Recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show half of the individuals in the U.S. who are 30 years old or older have periodontitis, or gum disease. This is around 64.7 million Americans.

Types of Gum Disease

There are two main forms of gum disease. These are:

1) Gingivitis

This is the milder form of periodontal disease where your gums become swollen, red, and bleed easily. You don't usually experience any discomfort at this stage. Gingivitis is often due to poor oral hygiene. With good oral home care and professional treatment, it is reversible.

There are certain factors that can contribute to gingivitis, including:

Smoking
Diabetes
Genetic predisposition
Aging
Stress
Hormonal fluctuations
Systemic conditions
Pregnancy
HIV infection
Substance abuse
Certain medication use

2) Periodontitis

When you don’t treat gingivitis, it can turn into periodontitis. Plaque can spread, with time, and grow below your gum line. Bacteria-produced toxins in plaque can aggravate your gums. These toxins cause a chronic inflammatory response where your body essentially turns on itself and the bones and tissues supporting your teeth break down and become damaged. Your gums then separate from your teeth, form pockets, and become infected.

With the progression of the disease, these pockets become deep and more bone and gum tissue are damaged. Eventually, your teeth could become loose and a dentist will need to remove them.

There are various forms of periodontitis, including:

Chronic periodontitis: This is caused by inflammation within your teeth's supporting tissues, progressive attachment, and loss of bone. It's the form of periodontitis that occurs the most often and is characterized by the recession of the gingiva and/or pocket formation.
Aggressive periodontitis: Common features of this type of periodontitis are bone destruction, rapid attachment loss, and familial aggregation.
Systemic disease-manifested periodontitis: Systemic conditions cause this form of periodontitis such as diabetes, respiratory disease, and heart disease.
Necrotizing periodontal disease: An infection marked by necrosis of the alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, and gingival tissues. People with systemic conditions like malnutrition, HIV infection, and immunosuppression often experience these lesions.

Causes of Gum Disease

Poor oral hygiene allows plaque bacteria and calculus to stay on your teeth, infecting your gums, and leading to gum disease. However, there are other factors that raise your risk of gingivitis, including:

1.
Chewing tobacco or smoking: Keeps your gum tissue from healing properly.
2.
Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes in pregnancy, puberty or menopause usually increase the risk of gingivitis. The hormone increase causes your gums' blood vessels to be more vulnerable to chemical attack and bacteria.
3.
Rotated, crooked or overlapping teeth: This can generate more areas for calculus and plaque to accumulate. And these areas are more difficult to keep clean.
4.
Cancer treatment and cancer: These cause you to be more vulnerable to infection, increasing your risk of gum disease.
5.
Stress: Stress impairs the immune response of your body to bacterial invasion.
6.
Alcohol: Impacts oral defense mechanisms negatively.
7.
Poor nutrition: If you have a diet high in carbohydrates and sugar and low in water intake, it increases your formation of plaque. Healing is also impaired when you have a nutrient deficiency, such as being deficient in Vitamin C.
8.
Mouth breathing: This can be hard on your gums when your lips aren't protecting them. It can cause inflammation and chronic irritation.
9.
Diabetes: It can impair circulation and the healing ability of your gums.
10.
Medicines: For instance, antiseizure medicines increase your gum disease risk.
11.
Poor saliva production. Saliva helps to remove food particles from your teeth to reduce your chance of developing tooth decay.
12.
Infrequent or no dental care. Regular dental care is an essential tool in preventing and managing gum disease.

Symptoms of Gum Disease

Gum disease symptoms might include:

Bleeding or tender gums
Bad breath that doesn't go away
Loose teeth
Swollen or red gums
Longer appearing teeth or receding gums
Sensitive teeth
Painful chewing

Preventing Gum Disease

To help control or prevent periodontal disease, it's essential to brush and floss your teeth every day which will help remove bacteria that cause gum disease. And, see your dentist a minimum of once a year for a checkup or if you're noticing any warning signs or you're at risk for any of the factors mentioned above, see the dentist more frequently.

Treatment for Gum Disease

It’s possible to control and treat gingivitis with regular professional cleanings and good oral hygiene. You can also treat more serious forms of periodontal disease successfully, however, you’ll need more extensive treatment like medicine, deep cleaning of your tooth root surfaces below your gums through a process known as root planing and scaling. In some cases, you might need corrective gum surgery.

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