Periodontal disease is one of the leading causes of teeth loss and can have a serious impact on the health of an individual. Periodontal disease is caused by a bacterial infection, which if left untreated develops into periodontal disease. At an advanced stage, the diseases will often lead to wasting of the jaw bone mass and loss of gum tissues. Periodontal disease is a progressive disease and moves from one stage to another. There are four stages of periodontal disease namely gingivitis, slight, moderate and advanced periodontal disease.
Gingivitis
This is seen in the early stages of periodontal disease and the only one where the condition can be reversed if caught on time. Gingivitis happens when plaque builds up on the teeth and at this stage, bone mass in the jaw is relatively intact. There is no pain at this stage and most people report symptoms such as bad breath, swollen and red gums as well as bleeding. In many cases, this bleeding is often spotted when one is brushing their teeth. If good oral health care is done at this stage, the progress of this disease can be halted.
Slight Periodontal Disease
If gingivitis is not caught at this stage, the next one is slight periodontal disease. At this stage, the disease has begun to eat away at the jaw mass and the bacteria become more and more aggressive. At this stage, oral hygiene will not help and the disease will require medical intervention in order to be halted. Symptoms at this stage are similar to those of gingivitis but at a greater magnitude.
Moderate Periodontal Disease
At this stage, the disease continues to eat away at the bone mass and infection may spread from your bone mass to your bloodstream and affect your immune system as well. The effect of this increased infection is greater gum sensitivity, tooth loss and sometimes the shifting of teeth. At this point, the only way this infection can be stopped is through scaling and root planing which are forms of deep cleaning. These procedures are designed to remove pockets of bacteria and prevent further infection.
Advanced Stage of Periodontal Disease
This is the last stage of periodontal disease and at this point, the patient is at a very high risk of complete bone loss. During this last stage, the patient is likely to have red swollen gums that may ooze pus. The patient may also suffer from severe halitosis and intense pain when chewing food. Treatment that this stage involves surgery to remove the deep pockets of bacteria that have formed in the gums. Left untreated, it will lead to spacing between teeth as well as put the patient at risk of other serious medical conditions. One way of preventing periodontal disease is regular dental checkups. If you are looking for an experienced New York City dentist to do regular checkups, talk to Dr. Alex Rubinov who has years of experience as an orthodontist. Contact his practice at (718) 253-0800 for an appointment