Periodontal disease
Periodontitis (“loosening”)
Periodontitis is a disease that affects almost 1 in 2 French people and is characterized by a gradual loss of the tooth’s attachment system. This loss occurs most of the time without pain and when visible signs appear (tooth mobility, gum abscess), it is often too late.
Precise and early diagnosis is therefore essential. The periodontist should characterize the type of condition you are suffering from because the resulting treatment will not be the same.
Cause of periodontitis
It has a dual origin, bacterial and immunological.
The bacteria attack the periodontium (the tooth attachment system) and activate the patient’s immunity. These bacteria can be more or less aggressive and the immunity more or less well organized to this aggression.
Management of periodontal disease in our practice
We will provide you with personalized care, clear and detailed explanations, tools adapted to perfect your oral hygiene.
When surgeries are necessary, they are performed in an operating theater dedicated to this type of treatment.
All treatments are carried out using magnifying glasses allowing precise and quality care.
Treatment of periodontitis
By a treatment sequence including non-surgical sanitation initially followed by a reassessment at 6 to 8 weeks, which will determine the need or not for surgery. The next step in ensuring that the initial treatment is sustained throughout life is maintenance, an essential step in controlling the stability of the disease.
Periodontal sanitation surgery
Surgical therapy should be set up when, on re-evaluation, despite non-surgical treatment, “pockets” still persist.
These surgeries, more commonly called sanitation flaps, correspond to the fact of receding the gum in order to have visual access to the entire tooth root opposite the pocket and to allow its perfect cleaning (sometimes difficult to obtain during non-surgical therapy with deep pockets).
These surgeries often use biomaterials which will allow periodontal regeneration techniques to be carried out. The tissues are then repositioned and closed with sutures.
What are the signs that can alert you?
- Bleeding gums when brushing
- Red, tender or swollen gums
- Gums appearing outside the teeth
- Persistent bad breath
- Pus between the teeth and the gums keeping a bad taste in the mouth.
- A change in the mesh of the teeth between them
- Movable or separating teeth
- Recessions (loosening of the gums)
- Monitoring of our patients
We carry out retro-alevolar radiographic assessments as well as chartings of our patients.
The retro-alveolar assessments are analyzed every month by all the practitioners in the office in order to have the finest possible diagnosis.
What are the factors that contribute to periodontal disease?
Although plaque is the direct cause of periodontal disease, other factors can contribute to its development or worsening.
- Dental plaque
It is a deposit that will form on the surface of the teeth from molecules from saliva, bacteria found naturally in the mouth and food debris.
- Tartar
It corresponds to a mineralization of dental plaque.
- Mechanism of tartar formation
Calculus results from the mineralization of dental plaque, if dental plaque is removed correctly, it does not have time to mineralize and tartar does not have time to form.
Some people salivate more than others, they will have faster mineralization of this dental plaque and faster tartar formation.
- Cigarette
Smoking, an important risk factor in periodontal disease, inhibits micro-vascularization in the mouth
- Pregnancy & puberty (hormonal disorders)
Certain hormonal changes can make the gums more red, tender with an increased tendency to bleed. Pre-existing periodontitis can become more severe.
- The stress
Stress reduces the body’s immunity to infections, including periodontal disease.
- Medication
Certain medications such as birth control pills, antidepressants and antiepileptics or others for heart disease for example can affect your oral health. To do this, you should regularly inform your dentist about the medications you are taking and any changes in your general health.
- Grinding of teeth
These habits put excessive loads on the teeth which can speed up the process of tissue destruction.
- Malnutrition
Malnutrition will reduce the body’s ability to defend itself and therefore promote the development of periodontal diseases.
- Systemic diseases
Diseases that affect the body’s immune system can make some forms of periodontal disease wor