Silent disease "The Gum Disease" most common yet most ignored

Gum disease is prominent and most commonly affecting disease irrespective of age. It is an inflammation of the gum line that can progress to affect the bone that surrounds and supports your teeth.  Oral cavity contains variety of bacteria. These bacteria build plaque, an invisible sticky, colorless layer of germs on the teeth. These bacteria form toxins that irritate and damage the gums. Brushing and flossing help get rid of plaque. Plaque that is not removed can harden and form “tartar” that brushing doesn’t clean. Only a professional cleaning by a dentist can help remove tartar.

Stages of progression of gum disease

The three stages of gum disease — from least to most severe — are gingivitis, periodontitis and advanced periodontitis.

Simple way to understand and control gum disease.

Plaque a substance which helps bacteria to adhere to tooth, thus bacteria the cause for the disease is in close vicinity to gums. The bacterial toxins continuously leaches in soft tissue (gums), and it causes progression of inflammation and infection. Gums become reddened, swollen and detached from tooth surface. This stage is commonly called “Gingivitis”

This detachment and pseudo enlargement of gums creates a space for food and debris lodgment which creates inaccessible area for proper hygiene maintenance, there by deteriorating the reversible form of disease to potentially irreversibly. This is called as pocket formation, a space formed between tooth and gums. The sign and symptom is characterized by bleeding on brushing and pain.

Succession of disease to permanent damage stage

If still professional help is not taken then condition worsens to loss of tooth supporting tissue and bone, thus weakening tooth support. This stage is officially called as “Periodontitis”

Progression to Advanced periodontitis.

It’s an advanced stage where there is an appreciable destruction of supporting fibers and bone, which transforms to visible tooth mobility and gums recession. This is the stage where there is a clear need for the surgical treatment depending upon the amount loss of supporting structure, if unrestorable condition persists then tooth removal is the final choice.

Co-relation between gum disease and medical issues

·    Atherosclerosis and heart disease — Gum disease may increase the risk of clogged arteries and heart disease. It also is believed to worsen existing heart disease.

·     Stroke — Gum disease may increase the risk of the type of stroke that is caused by blocked arteries.

·     Premature births — A woman who has gum disease during pregnancy may be more likely to deliver her baby too early. The infant may be more likely to be of low birth weight.

·      Diabetes — Diabetic patients with periodontal disease may have more trouble controlling their blood sugar than diabetic patients with healthy gums.

·      Respiratory disease — Bacteria involved in gum disease may cause lung infections or worsen existing lung conditions. This is particularly important for elderly adults in institutions such as nursing homes. In this group, bacteria from the mouth may reach the lungs and may cause severe pneumonia.

Risks and Prevention

The bacteria in plaque are the main cause of periodontal disease. But several other factors also can contribute. They include other diseases, medicines and oral habits. These factors can increase your risk of gum disease or make it worse once the infection has set in.

·         Genetic susceptibility-- Some people are more prone to severe gum disease than others

·         Smoking and tobacco use

·         Misaligned or crowded teeth, braces or bridgework

·         Grinding, clenching of teeth

·      Stress — Stress can make periodontal disease worse and harder to treat. Stress weakens your body's immune system. This makes it harder for your body to fight off infection, including periodontal disease.

·      Fluctuating hormones — Whenever hormone levels go up and down in the body, changes can occur in the mouth. Puberty and pregnancy can temporarily increase the risk and severity of gum disease. So can menopause.

·       Medicines — Several types of medicines can cause dry mouth, or xerostomia. This may lead to tooth decay (cavities). Other medicines may cause the gums to enlarge. This makes them more likely to trap plaque.

·     Diseases — People with certain diseases have a higher risk of developing periodontal disease. For example, people with diabetes are more likely to get periodontitis than people without diabetes. Their gum disease is also likely to be more severe. Other diseases that increase periodontal disease risk include inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and HIV infection. Having one of these diseases can make the control of your periodontal disease more difficult. But a good dentist who is aware of these problems can give you guidance on how to maintain your periodontal health.

·     Poor nutrition — Nutrition is important for overall good health, including a working immune system and healthy gums and mouth. Severe vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) can cause bleeding gums.

Considerations before deciding Dental bridge or Dental implants

Teeth replacements have come a long way in the last 30 years. Missing or extracted teeth raise common concerns of infection, injury, periodontal disease, or other reasons but the proper replacement is the key to a confident smile. When you’re missing a tooth, you have two options for replacement – install a dental implant or a dental bridge. Unfortunately, many patients don’t have the information they need to make the best choice for their oral health and smile.

In the past, a bridge was your only choice, and still involves more than just the missing tooth. A bridge is a non-removable prothesis that is used to replace a missing tooth. A bridge literally bridges the gap between the two natural teeth replacing the tooth that’s missing between them. The adjacent teeth need to be "prepared" in order to fabricate the bridge.

Advantages of Bridges

Esthetic, functional, predictable, reliable

Less costly

Requires less time for final result

Disadvantages of Bridges

Requires enamel removal of adjacent teeth

If adjacent teeth have crowns, they must be redone

Tooth decay is potential problem

Root canal treatment may be required if nerves are affected

Greater tendency for gum disease

Less longevity than implants

Today, dentists offer an alternative that involves less collateral damage- TOOTH IMPLANT. A dental implant is actually a root replacement, and unlike the root of a tooth, it is actually fused to the bone of the jaw. A crown is attached to the implant and in effect it becomes a stand-alone tooth, functioning and appearing just like the natural tooth you have lost. The crown is the part you see in the mouth, and the root is the part that is encased in bone and keeps the tooth in place.

Advantages of Dental Implants

Esthetic, functional, predictable, reliable

Does not affect adjacent teeth

Does not decay

Less likely to develop gum disease

Placing the implant in the bone prevents future bone loss because the bone and the titanium rod actually begin to bond together. The bone does not know the difference between the root of the natural tooth and the titanium rod.

Disadvantages of Dental Implants

More expensive

More planning time

Requires minor surgery

Requires healing time before permanent tooth replacement

Health of surrounding tissue plays important than age.

For a successful dental implant procedure, a patient's health is more important than age. Because this procedure requires healing to work effectively, candidates who aren’t ideal include smokers, patients with weakened immune systems or patients with diabetes.

You probably shouldn’t get an implant if you grind your teeth while sleeping. Also, oral surgeons generally rule out children because their jawbones have not yet matured.

Changes in your oral care routine

Your ability to keep your mouth healthy will be easier with an implant. Dental bridges are cemented or "fixed" in the mouth, and involve at least three crowns connected together to fill the space of the missing tooth. This design creates challenges when brushing and flossing, so extra oral hygiene instruction and meticulous home care are crucial. In contrast, implants can replace teeth individually without affecting other teeth, making regular home care more successful. You can effectively brush and floss around an implant just like your natural tooth.

DURABILITY

Dental implants are more durable than bridges, allowing them to provide protection that lasts a lifetime. Dental implant treatment has a track record of reliable, long-term successful outcomes and is often considered “more predictable” than other treatments.

Toothache hurts so much.......Reason and Remedies ???

Whether you are experiencing a toothache now, have experienced a toothache in the past or are hoping to avoid a toothache in the future, your teeth will benefit very much from a routine of good dental hygiene and regular check-ups at the dentist or dental hygienist.

It has been said that a toothache is the most intense pain that can be experienced. Surprisingly, Teeth only feel pain. There are no other tooth feelings. If a nerve happens to be exposed in there, everything is pain. Cold is pain. Warm is pain. Wet is pain. Touch is pain. There's just nothing else and that's a pretty unique situation in the human body. In fact, a really bad toothache can feel like your head is exploding.

Why toothache is extremely painful?

The face and head, including your teeth, are richly served by the nervous system and make for an exquisitely sensitive and responsive anatomic region.

The mouth and jaw are hooked directly to the ​trigeminal nerve, which is one of several cranial nerves: nerves that link directly to the brain rather than link to the spinal cord. So, teeth are linked up to a nervous short-circuit of sorts. ​Additionally, your teeth have an abundance of neural connections to the pain centers in the brain. This seems to amplify the noxious “distress signals.”

Why a toothache hurts so bad

When your finger is infected, it normally swells up because of your body’s own immune response. This is possible because the tissues in your finger are relatively soft and flexible. When you have an infection in a tooth, the immune response is the same – but a tooth cannot swell up the same way as a finger can. The infection is caught inside the hard tissues of the tooth, causing a very large pressure. This is the reason for the intense toothache. When the pressure gets too high, the infection will start to work it’s way out of the tooth through the root and into the surrounding bone structure. From here it will continue to push it’s way out through the hard tissues. At this point the toothache is especially painful. Eventually you might develop an abscess, which can normally be seen in the mouth around the area of the root of the tooth which is infected. Sometimes the abscess is even outside the mouth under the chin.

When the abscess bursts, the pressure is off and many people feel an instant relief from the toothache. This does not mean that the problem is solved, however. The reason for the toothache - the infection - is still there and treatment is necessary.

What can be done about a toothache?

There are only two ways of treating an infected tooth effectively. The simple solution is to pull out the tooth but ideally it’s not advisable if you have restorable tooth. Since most people feel that it is best to keep their teeth as long as possible, however, the more common and preferred treatment - when possible - is root canal therapy. There may be a need to combine the treatment with medication to control the infection.