Periodontitis – Don't underestimate it

Periodontitis – Don't underestimate it

Because periodontitis is a fairly common disease, many people are subjective. In many cases, failure to treat promptly has led to destruction of the periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, gum recession, loose teeth, and the ultimate consequence is tooth loss, facial deformation, loss of aesthetics, and tooth decay. Reduce chewing function, affecting general health.

Cause and effect

Periodontitis Periodontitis is caused by an increase in the number and type of bacteria through plaque buildup. In addition, there are a number of factors that contribute to making periodontitis worse such as: Unfavorable tooth anatomy, untreated tooth decay, misaligned teeth, stress, smoking, and diet. (lack of calcium, vitamins C, E, A...), osteoporosis, estrogen deficiency, hormonal changes (during pregnancy, diabetes...), medication (anti-epileptic, birth control pills...) . In particular, an important cause of periodontitis that most people do not expect is due to improper tooth restoration techniques. For example, porcelain is not made according to proper technique, the fillings and edges of the ceramic restoration are not tight enough, making it easy for bacterial plaque to accumulate, wearing removable plastic teeth that are not cleaned thoroughly creates the opportunity for food to accumulate, causing bridges to form. teeth - many teeth linked together is also one of the increased risks of periodontitis (accounting for 15% after 10 years).

Periodontitis is mostly a chronic disease but has many consequences that affect oral health as well as overall health, including lack of confidence in communication and obstacles in integrating into the community. The first thing to mention is bad breath and bleeding gums. Next is gum recession and tooth sensitivity. More serious is the loss of alveolar bone and destruction of the periodontal ligament, leading to loose and displaced teeth and ultimately tooth loss, facial deformity, loss of aesthetics and impaired chewing function, affecting affect general health.

See more: Gingivitis in pregnant women more dangerous than expected

Treatment methods for periodontitis

Depending on the disease condition, an independent method can be used or sometimes a combination of multiple treatment methods is needed as follows: Non-surgical treatment includes scaling teeth, curettage of periodontal pockets combined with the use of antibiotics local or whole body; Surgical treatment includes tooth extraction, flap to clean the root surface, tissue grafting...; Maintenance and preventive treatment, such as oral hygiene instructions (brush teeth properly, use mouthwash with Chlorhexidine, use dental floss...), and regular dental check-ups every 6 months. A common situation is that patients often buy antibiotics to take without a doctor's examination and prescription. This is a wrong habit because it is ineffective, the disease still progresses silently, and the possibility of relapse is very high. On the other hand, indiscriminate use of antibiotics will cause drug resistance, which is also a problem for all humanity.

Advice and prevention

Periodontal disease is a disease that may not be restored to its original state, because bone loss may not recover completely and is a disease with a high recurrence rate, progressing silently, without specific symptoms. can be easily detected by the patient, until the condition becomes serious. Therefore, awareness of prevention and taking care of the patient's own oral health regularly, regularly and periodically is more important than treating the disease. Because, sometimes the condition is too serious to be saved, and the tooth must be extracted. Therefore, for patients, I have some advice:

• Proper oral hygiene: Maintain clean oral hygiene, brush your teeth after every meal and before going to bed with a soft toothbrush, do not use a toothbrush that is too hard. At the same time, combine with dental floss, water flosser and mouthwash to clean between teeth and remove disease-causing bacterial plaque. You should not use a toothpick because it will easily cause receding gums and gaps between teeth. You should replace your toothbrush every 3 months
• Periodic dental check-ups: Helps detect abnormal signs in the oral cavity as well as the periodontal system. Teeth should be cleaned every 4-6 months because tartar contains a lot of bacteria and is the leading cause of periodontal disease.
• Nutrition: Avoid eating foods high in sugar, alcohol, and smoking. Instead, provide vitamin C and calcium to your teeth to make them stronger.
• For pregnant women, it is necessary to maintain good oral hygiene and periodically clean teeth to prevent bacterial plaque that causes periodontitis due to pregnancy. For patients undergoing cardiovascular intervention, treatment of periodontitis – removal of bacterial plaque becomes a mandatory indication. Otherwise, bacteria from plaque have the opportunity to follow the bloodstream into the heart, leading to the risk of cardiovascular surgery failure and threatening the patient's life.
• For patients being treated for  head, face, and neck cancer, it is necessary to have scaling, clean oral hygiene, aggressive treatment of periodontally affected teeth, and even the removal of loose teeth that are unable to function. recovery before applying radiation therapy.
• For patients who have had dental implants, the issue of caring for the soft tissue around the implant (known as gum tissue) becomes even more urgent.

Hopefully the above article will help you have useful information and solutions to prevent and quickly solve your oral health problems. If you have any questions, please contact us via Hotline: 0338 56 5678 or come directly to Nhan Tam Dental Clinic for support and advice.