Previous articles that I have written have discussed the periodontal tissues and their health. This seems like quite the boring topic, but it is a very important topic to consider. The base of the tooth and the surrounding structures are vital to the longevity of the tooth in the mouth but can also harbor very damaging bacteria. These bacteria have effects reaching far and wide in the body outside the mouth.
Let's take a little backwards step and look at these vital tissues. For those of you who were like me and went to Catholic schools, Latin may have been beat into your head as part of the curriculum. With that in mind please don't have bad memories of nuns being tough on you as you read the next section.
OK, here it goes. Latin roots. “Peri” meaning around and “Dontal” meaning tooth. When you hear about gingivitis that is referring strictly to the gums. Periodontitis or periodontal disease refers to the tissues including the bone, the ligament between the tooth and the bone and the gums. This is an important distinction as you will discover later. There is also a (hopefully) shallow pocket around each tooth like the space between the collar of a shirt and your neck. This pocket is why we dentists and hygienists are always harping on you to brush up and down so the bristles get up into the space.
The health issues caused by periodontal disease are well documented and are increasing all the time. The initial problems were the bacteria causing heart problems. A person with an area in the blood system where blood could pool such as a leaky valve or a hip replacement could have an infection caused by bacteria which originated in the mouth. Some of the other proven problems are low birth weight babies, increased incidence in diabetic patients and increased risk of stroke. Osteoporosis is in the media daily. How often can you watch a program and not see a commercial for the latest medicine to ward off the bone loss effects of osteoporosis? It is now known that the bacteria that cause periodontal disease can speed up the bone loss of osteoporosis.
I spent a whole article previously on the systemic health effects so instead of a rehash of that let's look at the cause of this silent disease. Periodontal disease is different than other disease processes that go on in the mouth. An abscessed tooth swells and causes pain. A cavity causes pain to certain foods and will turn into an abscess if left long enough. An occlusal or bite issue will cause painful, cold sensitive teeth. Periodontal disease doesn't cause pain. There are rare side effects of the disease which can cause pain such as a periodontal abscess but ordinarily the symptoms are silent.
There are many causes of bacterial infection of the gum and bone tissue but only one of these is the main primary cause. That cause is plaque. Plaque is a sticky film that is deposited on the surface of the tooth by bacteria that are in everyone's mouths. These bacteria feed off of the deposits left behind in our mouths after eating. They especially like sugars and sticky foods. I'm sure you can think of a number of secondary causes of this infection. Crowded teeth, heredity, poorly contoured dental fillings, missing teeth and poor oral hygiene are examples of a few. These secondary causes all go back to the primary cause of plaque. If you can keep the plaque off the teeth then the bacteria can't infect the pocket around the tooth.
If the plaque isn't removed from the tooth then it will harden into calculus or tartar in 24 hours time. This then becomes a home base for more bacteria to collect. If the tartar hardens below the gum line another important change takes place. That change is in the type of bacteria that are infecting you. Now the bacteria are not so much laying down more plaque as they are secreting acid and toxins which break down the ligament and the surrounding bone. At this point you have periodontal disease.
Hopefully I have given you a view inside a gum pocket and you can see how the bacteria set up shop. Please read my next article which will look at the current treatment methods to make your mouth healthy again.
Dr. Michael K. Keating, DDS, is a dentist in Auburn and can be reached at 252-7278 or e-mail him at DrMike@FingerLakesSmiles.com
OK, here it goes. Latin roots. “Peri” meaning around and “Dontal” meaning tooth. When you hear about gingivitis that is referring strictly to the gums. Periodontitis or periodontal disease refers to the tissues including the bone, the ligament between the tooth and the bone and the gums. This is an important distinction as you will discover later. There is also a (hopefully) shallow pocket around each tooth like the space between the collar of a shirt and your neck. This pocket is why we dentists and hygienists are always harping on you to brush up and down so the bristles get up into the space.
The health issues caused by periodontal disease are well documented and are increasing all the time. The initial problems were the bacteria causing heart problems. A person with an area in the blood system where blood could pool such as a leaky valve or a hip replacement could have an infection caused by bacteria which originated in the mouth. Some of the other proven problems are low birth weight babies, increased incidence in diabetic patients and increased risk of stroke. Osteoporosis is in the media daily. How often can you watch a program and not see a commercial for the latest medicine to ward off the bone loss effects of osteoporosis? It is now known that the bacteria that cause periodontal disease can speed up the bone loss of osteoporosis.
I spent a whole article previously on the systemic health effects so instead of a rehash of that let's look at the cause of this silent disease. Periodontal disease is different than other disease processes that go on in the mouth. An abscessed tooth swells and causes pain. A cavity causes pain to certain foods and will turn into an abscess if left long enough. An occlusal or bite issue will cause painful, cold sensitive teeth. Periodontal disease doesn't cause pain. There are rare side effects of the disease which can cause pain such as a periodontal abscess but ordinarily the symptoms are silent.
There are many causes of bacterial infection of the gum and bone tissue but only one of these is the main primary cause. That cause is plaque. Plaque is a sticky film that is deposited on the surface of the tooth by bacteria that are in everyone's mouths. These bacteria feed off of the deposits left behind in our mouths after eating. They especially like sugars and sticky foods. I'm sure you can think of a number of secondary causes of this infection. Crowded teeth, heredity, poorly contoured dental fillings, missing teeth and poor oral hygiene are examples of a few. These secondary causes all go back to the primary cause of plaque. If you can keep the plaque off the teeth then the bacteria can't infect the pocket around the tooth.
If the plaque isn't removed from the tooth then it will harden into calculus or tartar in 24 hours time. This then becomes a home base for more bacteria to collect. If the tartar hardens below the gum line another important change takes place. That change is in the type of bacteria that are infecting you. Now the bacteria are not so much laying down more plaque as they are secreting acid and toxins which break down the ligament and the surrounding bone. At this point you have periodontal disease.
Hopefully I have given you a view inside a gum pocket and you can see how the bacteria set up shop. Please read my next article which will look at the current treatment methods to make your mouth healthy again.
Dr. Michael K. Keating, DDS, is a dentist in Auburn and can be reached at 252-7278 or e-mail him at DrMike@FingerLakesSmiles.com
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.