Periodontal disease, which is also known as "gum
disease“ or Pyorrhea, leaves the tooth itself intact and destroys the tissues
which support the tooth in the underlying bone. It is caused by poor oral
hygiene and the consequent accumulation of plaque at the gum margin. lt is one of
the common causes of bad breath. The disease may commence as a gingivitis when
plaque at the gum margin causes a swelling of the gum, the gum boil, due to
bacterial action on the gums, and causes bleeding gums. This is an important
and easily recognizable sign of periodontal disease at any age. There may be
blood on the toothbrush or in the saliva after brushing. It is a good practice
to occasionally check for bleeding gums before a mirror immediately after
brushing small segments of the gum –say across 6 teeth.
At the gingivitis
stage, the disease is reversible provided proper attention is given to oral
hygiene. If this is not done and the condition is allowed to persist for months
and years, the fibrous attachment, which anchors the tooth to the bone, is
frequently destroyed gradually. This may go on slowly for many years until finally
the teeth become shaky and are lost. Things are probably made worse by the
presence, under the gum, of hard deposits of calculus (tartar). Calculus or
tartar refers to the plaque that has got calcified over a period of time due to
its improper removal, No plaque means no tartar; so tartar or calculus implies
poor oral hygiene. Plaque can be removed efficiently by tooth brushing, while
the calculus can only be removed mechanically by a dental surgeon using a
procedure called scaling. On the other hand scaling will hardly be necessary
for people who clean their teeth properly. Furthermore it is quite wrong to
regard the loss of teeth with advancing age -a familiar occurrence - as normal.
On the contrary it is due to a disease, which can be, and ought to be, prevented
and controlled.
Prevention of periodontal disease
The prevention of the disease is based on sound personal
oral hygiene throughout life, in other words, there must be daily mechanical
removal of plaque using a toothbrush or chewing stick. It is recommended to
brush the teeth at the morning and at the evening after the meals. The overall
objective is to maintain a good oral hygiene so that the progress of the
disease, if at all, will be slow enough for the teeth to last a lifetime
despite some loss of bone support. As an aid to oral hygiene, plaque disclosing
agents or some dyes can be used to stain and show up the plaque. They do not in
themselves remove the plaque. Furthermore the use of dental floss and
interdental cleaning aids will help remove plaque from sites which the brush
may not reach easily. Advice may be obtained from a dentist about the use of
such aids. Deposits of calculus resulting from past neglect of oral hygiene
will harbor plaque and make cleaning of the teeth more difficult.
