As health care professionals, from time to time we have to give some unpleasant answers to our patients, and as a periodontitis dentist in the UK, we have to be able to offer some unpleasant answers to our patients. dental clinic Vélez y LozanoI am more than used to hearing in the cabinet from the people affected by the periodontal disease seek and ask for a definitive solution to their problem, but unfortunately this is something that science is currently unable to offer. Like so many other diseases, this is a chronic condition that will be with sufferers for life. However, there is no reason for pessimism, as, like many chronic conditions, with control and monitoring, we can keep it 'at bay' and minimise its impact on our oral health.
But before we get into all this, as they say, let's start at the beginning:
What is periodontitis?
In reality, although people tend to confuse the two, the periodontitis is the most advanced stage of periodontal disease, which tends to appear mostly due to poor oral hygiene, although many factors also play a role, including smoking, genetic inheritance and systemic diseases such as diabetes.
The first stage of periodontal disease is the gingivitiswhich is characterised by inflammation and bleeding of the gums. It is caused by the accumulation of bacterial plaque which, if not eliminated correctly, will eventually turn into tartar or dental calculus. However, in this first initial phase of the disease, the patient is still in time to be 'cured', since, if properly treated in the dental office and kept at bay both by cleaning at home and attending regular check-ups, the gums will return to a healthy state and there will be no sequelae.
However, if the patient continues with bad habits, such as smoking and poor oral hygiene, or chooses not to attend regular check-ups, gingivitis will inevitably progress to periodontitis.
Periodontitis is a mostly serious and irreversible condition. According to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) affects a 10% of the world populationThe typical patient is an adult between the ages of 35 and 44 years old. It is the main reason for tooth loss in adults because it causes the progressive destruction of the tissues that support the teeth (gums, periodontal ligament and bone), which ultimately causes them to fall out.
So... no cure?
No, unfortunately there is no cure for periodontitis as such, but that does not mean that a periodontal patient is hopelessly doomed to lose teeth at an early age. Not at all. Periodontal patients must have regular check-ups and maintenance to prevent the disease from reactivating, but they can keep it under control as long as they follow the guidelines given to them by the professional in the dentist's office.
With regard to treatment in the dental clinic, the most basic phase consists of carrying out what is known as scaling. A scraping consists of cleaning and disinfecting the deepest parts of the gum, which requires the application of local anaesthesia, so that the patient does not feel any sensitivity or pain.
A more advanced stage of periodontitis will require specific surgery in the area. These surgeries, despite what it may seem, are not very invasive despite operating directly on soft tissue and allow, through direct vision, repair and regeneration of the areas most affected by this pathology.
For this reason, emphasis is placed on prevention and personal care of oral health through daily brushing and the use of auxiliary tools such as a toothbrush. dental floss. The best way to fight against future periodontitis is not to give rise to the gingivitis that generates it, and to do this we must be scrupulous with our daily cleaning and attend regular maintenance and check-ups.
We therefore invite you to come to the clinic at the first sign of periodontal disease, because prevention is more effective than cure.
