Gingivitis with Probe
What is it?
Gum Disease is more professionally known as periodontal disease or ‘perio’ for short. This can be a lifelong condition that requires constant maintenance and there are lots of people who suffer from it, but do not understand it. Gingivitis is a
Gum disease/Periodontal disease is characterized by two things – pocketing and bone loss. Both of these things left un-treated can cause the teeth to come loose and in extreme cases fall out.
Pockets
Diseased gum will begin to detach itself from the tooth, this is what we call “loss of attachment”. This loss of gingival attachment to the tooth develops into what we call a “pocket”
Enter the dental probe. The probe is able to slide down the pocket and measure how deep it is. Pockets are a good way for your dental professional to monitor the extent of your gum disease.
Healthy gingiva has general pocketing between 0-3mm. A periodontal pocket begins at a measurement of 4mm and above. If left untreated the pockets can get up to 10-11mm. Dental professional’s might recommend a Periodontal Chart – a detailed recording of every pocket in your mouth, this helps to monitor the disease
Loss of attachment resulting in pocketing is often very hard to reverse. Sometimes with close attention and a specialists help, you may be able to retrieve some gum attachment back onto the tooth.
healthy gums compared to periodontal disease
Bone Loss
This is the endgame of gum disease, you begin to lose the bone that is holding your teeth in. This happens over time, but you can sometimes lose so much bone that your tooth starts to become mobile and could eventually fall out. Deeper pockets equal more bone loss. Bone loss is permanent and is unable to be reversed.
Bone loss can be monitored and checked through x-rays. Your Dental professional might request a big OPG x-ray which captures your entire upper and lower jaw, depending on the severity of your periodontal disease.
Symptoms of gum disease
- Bad breath
- wobbly teeth
- Shrinkage of the gums (recession)
- Sensitivity to cold
- Large gaps between the teeth causing food traps.
- bleeding of the gums
- recurring localized infections or abscesses
- generalized pain
Progression of periodontal disease
Where does the periodontal disease come from?
Poor Oral hygiene is directly related to gum disease. However It can also be hereditary or genetic and is commonly found in heavy smokers. Often a person doesn’t go from healthy gums straight into having periodontal disease, it is something that develops over a number of years and consistent lack in oral hygiene. The first stage to periodontal disease is what we call gingivitis a reversible condition – inflammation of the gums.
A persons Oral Hygiene might not always be the only contributing factor. Much like other diseases in the body if there is a history present in the family you may be more prone to developing it. It is the same with periodontal disease interestingly there have been some studies that show there is a correlation between having heart or lung disease and also periodontal disease.
Poor Oral Hygiene
Oral Hygiene is a huge factor in preventing and maintaining periodontal disease. Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease, which is irritation and inflammation of the gums. This happens when bacteria has been sitting on the gums for too long undisturbed, accordingly it develops into stronger more resistant anaerobic bacteria that directly causes periodontal disease. At the point in the disease where you are experiencing pocketing there is a much higher urgency to good oral hygiene. This is because the pocketed areas are extremely hard to clean the deeper they get and they serve as ‘secure homes’ to the disease’s bacteria, enabling the disease to progress further.
The best way to prevent gingivitis from progressing is to brush morning and night for 2 minutes each, and to floss at least once a day. If you find doing these activities causes bleeding in the mouth that is a sign of active gingivitis and you need to continue. Refer to our Blog post about brushing for more information.
Hereditary
A persons Oral Hygiene might not always be the only contributing factor. Much like other diseases in the body if there is a history present in the family you may be more prone to developing it. It is the same with periodontal disease interestingly there have been some studies that show there is a correlation between having heart or lung disease and also periodontal disease.
Smoking
Smoking reduces the blood flow to the gums consequently healing of the gums is not as effective. Additionally, it also reduces the saliva flow, and saliva is essential in the fight against bacteria.
Other contributing Factors
Other health conditions, medications or treatments can effect the health of your gums. For example, a diabetic might be at higher risk of gingivitis than a non-diabetic due to their impaired healing. Radiation Treatment also has an effect on gingival health.
Speak to your Dental professional about your Oral Health Today!
