The term Periodontal Disease includes gingivitis and periodontitis.

Gingivitis is a disease of the gums. It affects the tissue (the gums) around your teeth. Periodontitis is a disease of the teeth. It affects the ligaments and the bone that hold your teeth.

The main cause of both gingivitis and periodontitis is poor oral hygiene. The one…gingivitis…leads to the other. There are other causes but poor oral hygiene is the most common.

It is one thing to have gingivitis. It’s the beginning of the beginning of the end of your teeth if you don’t treat it!

The thing about gingivitis is that it can be effectively and easily treated. If the cause is poor oral hygiene then once you get rid of the offending plaque or tartar deposits¹ and if you practice good oral hygiene you’ll be safe.

Periodontitis Is A More Serious Problem

If you suffer with chronic gingivitis…whatever the cause…and it is left untreated, the infections in the gum will eventually find its way below the gum line and into the bones that hold your teeth.

The Progression of Periodontitis

Periodontitis starts with untreated gingivitis. So your gums are chronically swollen or inflamed. Over time the space between your gums and your teeth will widen to form deep pockets and the infection causing gingivitis will begin to attack the ligaments that hold your teeth and then the bone.

Deep pockets or gaps between the teeth and the gums will develop and you will begin to see bone loss. As the ligaments and bone deteriorate you may loose your teeth.

The deep pockets caused by periodontitis can be hard to clean even with flossing. Food gets trapped in these deep pockets along with bacteria and you may experience recurring and painful infections in these locations.

Once you have periodontitis the task of oral hygiene is ever more difficult but very important if you want to keep your teeth. In addition to religiously brushing and flossing, there are two key components to successfully preventing ongoing infections in the deep gaps along your teeth: irrigation and the use of a gingivitis toothpaste that will get into those deep pockets and kill bacteria.

Whatever you do practice good oral hygiene and treat any sign of gingivitis urgently so that you don’t get periodontitis!

Periodontitis

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