Acute Periodontitis

Oral hygiene is important, there's no doubt about that. You get one set of teeth, so you really need to take care of them. And it doesn't just stop with brushing; you'll need to floss and have your teeth professionally cleaned on a regular basis (this has nothing to do with teeth whitening). If you don't take care of your pearly whites, the health of your teeth and gums can deteriorate into something called periodontitis. It's not something you'll want to deal with, no matter your age.

Identification

• Acute periodontitis is ultimately a fairly serious disease affecting the gums and bone surrounding the teeth in your mouth. When plaque builds up on your teeth, there is a strong potential that bacteria will begin to grow. This bacterium will inevitably start to irritate your gums, allowing them to become inflamed and swollen. As time goes by, this plaque can now spread below the gum line, bringing with it the bacteria. While the body fights against the bacteria, the gums may begin to recede and the bone may pull away from the tooth, leaving a space or pocket between this tooth and the gum that surrounds it. You would now have something called periodontitis.

Effects

• These spaces or pockets left between your teeth and gums have the potential to collect particles of food. When this happens, it is possible that it will lead to an infection. If left untreated, the bacteria from this infection may begin to reduce your "bone level," or the amount of bone that surrounds the tooth. As this bone loss takes place, the connective tissue that basically holds the tooth in your mouth begins to deteriorate. At the same time, those small pockets or spaces begin to deepen, which may then lead to even more bone loss, gum recession and tissue deterioration. Eventually, your tooth will become loose until it falls out of your mouth. This would all be considered the more acute periodontitis.

Significance

• While the buildup of plaque (and the bacteria within it) is essentially the predominant reason someone will suffer from acute periodontitis, other factors can contribute to this gum disease. Women may be more apt to face the beginning stages of periodontitis during specific hormonal changes that occur at puberty, pregnancy and menopause. Illnesses and diseases that affect your immune system, like HIV or cancer, also may increase your risk of periodontitis. Even some medications can encourage abnormal tissue growth in the area of the gums. Of course, bad habits like not brushing, not flossing and smoking can increase the potential of this disease, but that really comes down to good oral hygiene.

Features

• Acute periodontitis is not without its warning signs. Though subtle, most people can tell that their gums may be tender or swollen, that their gums bleed after brushing, and that there is a slight recession in the gum line. Each is an indicator of the beginning stages of periodontal disease. As the state of your gums worsen, you may begin to experience bad breath, an odd taste in your mouth, noticeable pockets or spaces between the teeth and gums and even a change in your bite.

Treatments

• The stage of periodontitis will dictate the type of treatment that is available to you, though there are plenty, each with their own benefits. The most effective is that of dental cleaning every six months. It will keep the plaque at bay, so to speak, and stop the bacteria from affecting your gums. There is also a deep-cleaning method called scaling where plaque and tartar are not just removed above the gum line, but below as well. While this may sound uncomfortable, you don't have to worry as it is usually done under a local anesthetic. From there, the other options will be surgical in nature, running from pocket-reduction surgeries and bone grafts to tissue grafts and tissue regeneration.