Periodontitis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Periodontitis (per-e-o-don-TIE-tis), also called gum disease, is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue and, without treatment ... COVID-19:Advice,updatesandvaccineoptions Weareopenforsafein-personcare. Learnmore: MayoClinicfactsaboutcoronavirusdisease2019(COVID-19) OurCOVID-19patientandvisitorguidelines,plustrustedhealthinformation Lateston COVID-19vaccination bysite: Arizonapatientvaccinationupdates Arizona, Floridapatientvaccinationupdates Florida, Rochesterpatientvaccinationupdates Rochesterand MayoClinicHealthSystempatientvaccinationupdates MCHS Skiptositenavigation SkiptoContent ThiscontentdoesnothaveanEnglishversion.ThiscontentdoesnothaveanArabicversion. SectionsforPeriodontitisSymptoms&causesDiagnosis&treatmentDoctors&departments Print Overview Periodontitis Openpop-updialogbox Close Periodontitis Periodontitis Periodontitisisasevereguminfectionthatcanleadtotoothlossandotherserioushealthcomplications. Periodontitis(per-e-o-don-TIE-tis),alsocalledgumdisease,isaseriousguminfectionthatdamagesthesofttissueand,withouttreatment,candestroythebonethatsupportsyourteeth.Periodontitiscancauseteethtoloosenorleadtotoothloss. Periodontitisiscommonbutlargelypreventable.It'susuallytheresultofpoororalhygiene.Brushingatleasttwiceaday,flossingdailyandgettingregulardentalcheckupscangreatlyimproveyourchancesofsuccessfultreatmentforperiodontitisandcanalsoreduceyourchanceofdevelopingit.Products&ServicesBook:MayoClinicFamilyHealthBook,5thEditionNewsletter:MayoClinicHealthLetter—DigitalEditionShowmoreproductsfromMayoClinic SymptomsHealthygumsarefirmandpalepinkandfitsnuglyaroundteeth.Signsandsymptomsofperiodontitiscaninclude: Swollenorpuffygums Brightred,duskyredorpurplishgums Gumsthatfeeltenderwhentouched Gumsthatbleedeasily Pink-tingedtoothbrushafterbrushing Spittingoutbloodwhenbrushingorflossingyourteeth Badbreath Pusbetweenyourteethandgums Looseteethorlossofteeth Painfulchewing Newspacesdevelopingbetweenyourteeth Gumsthatpullawayfromyourteeth(recede),makingyourteethlooklongerthannormal Achangeinthewayyourteethfittogetherwhenyoubite WhentoseeadentistFollowyourdentist'srecommendedscheduleforregularcheckups.Ifyounoticeanysymptomsofperiodontitis,makeanappointmentwithyourdentistassoonaspossible.Thesooneryouseekcare,thebetteryourchancesofreversingdamagefromperiodontitis. RequestanAppointmentatMayoClinic CausesInmostcases,thedevelopmentofperiodontitisstartswithplaque—astickyfilmcomposedmainlyofbacteria.Ifleftuntreated,here'showplaquecaneventuallyadvancetoperiodontitis: Plaqueformsonyourteethwhenstarchesandsugarsinfoodinteractwithbacterianormallyfoundinyourmouth.Brushingyourteethtwiceadayandflossingonceadayremovesplaque,butplaquere-formsquickly. Plaquecanhardenunderyourgumlineintotartar(calculus)ifitstaysonyourteeth.Tartarismoredifficulttoremoveandit'sfilledwithbacteria.Thelongerplaqueandtartarremainonyourteeth,themoredamagetheycando.Youcan'tgetridoftartarbybrushingandflossing—youneedaprofessionaldentalcleaningtoremoveit. Plaquecancausegingivitis,themildestformofgumdisease.Gingivitisisirritationandinflammationofthepartofyourgumtissuearoundthebaseofyourteeth(gingiva).Gingivitiscanbereversedwithprofessionaltreatmentandgoodhomeoralcare. Ongoingguminflammationcancauseperiodontitis,eventuallycausingpocketstodevelopbetweenyourgumsandteeththatfillwithplaque,tartarandbacteria.Intime,thesepocketsbecomedeeper,fillingwithmorebacteria.Ifnottreated,thesedeepinfectionscausealossoftissueandbone,andultimatelyyoumayloseoneormoreteeth.Also,ongoingchronicinflammationcanputastrainonyourimmunesystem. RiskfactorsFactorsthatcanincreaseyourriskofperiodontitisinclude: Gingivitis Poororalhealthhabits Smokingorchewingtobacco Hormonalchanges,suchasthoserelatedtopregnancyormenopause Recreationaldruguse,suchassmokingmarijuanaorvaping Obesity Inadequatenutrition,includingvitaminCdeficiency Genetics Certainmedicationsthatcausedrymouthorgumchanges Conditionsthatcausedecreasedimmunity,suchasleukemia,HIV/AIDSandcancertreatment Certaindiseases,suchasdiabetes,rheumatoidarthritisandCrohn'sdisease ComplicationsPeriodontitiscancausetoothloss.Thebacteriaresponsibleforperiodontitiscanenteryourbloodstreamthroughgumtissue,possiblyaffectingotherpartsofyourbody.Forexample,periodontitisislinkedwithrespiratorydisease,rheumatoidarthritis,coronaryarterydiseaseandproblemscontrollingbloodsugarindiabetes. PreventionThebestwaytopreventperiodontitisistofollowaprogramofgoodoralhygiene,onethatyoubeginearlyandpracticeconsistentlythroughoutlife. Goodoralhygiene.Thatmeansbrushingyourteethfortwominutesatleasttwicedaily—inthemorningandbeforegoingtobed—andflossingatleastonceaday.Flossingbeforeyoubrushallowsyoutocleanawaytheloosenedfoodparticlesandbacteria.Goodoralhygienepreventsthedevelopmentofanenvironmentaroundyourteeththatisfavorabletospecificbacteriathatcauseperiodontaldisease. Regulardentalvisits.Seeyourdentistordentalhygienistregularlyforcleanings,usuallyeverysixto12months.Ifyouhaveriskfactorsthatincreaseyourchanceofdevelopingperiodontitis—suchashavingdrymouth,takingcertainmedicationsorsmoking—youmayneedprofessionalcleaningmoreoften. ByMayoClinicStaff RequestanAppointmentatMayoClinic Diagnosis&treatment Feb.14,2020 Print Shareon:FacebookTwitter Showreferences Overviewofperiodontaldisease.MerckManualProfessionalVersion.https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/dental-disorders/periodontal-disorders/overview-of-periodontal-disease.AccessedSept.26,2019. Gumdisease:Causes,symptoms,andtreatments.NationalInstituteofDentalandCraniofacialResearch.https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/gum-disease/more-info#.AccessedSept.26,2019. CatonJG,etal.Anewclassificationschemeforperiodontalandperi-implantdiseasesandconditions―Introductionandkeychangesfromthe1999classification.JournalofClinicalPeriodontology.2018;doi:10.1111/jcpe.12935. Periodontal(gum)disease.NationalInstituteofDentalandCraniofacialResearch.https://catalog.nidcr.nih.gov/OrderPublications/#10.AccessedSept.26,2019. Periodontaldisease.CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/conditions/periodontal-disease.html.AccessedSept.26,2019. AskMayoExpert.Periodontaldisease.MayoClinic;2019. SmileyCJ,etal.Evidence-basedclinicalpracticeguidelineonthenonsurgicaltreatmentofchronicperiodontitisbymeansofscalingandrootplaningwithorwithoutadjuncts.JournaloftheAmericanDentalAssociation.2015;doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2015.01.026. PapapanouPN,etal.Periodontitis:Consensusreportofworkgroup2ofthe2017WorldWorkshopontheClassificationofPeriodontalandPeri-ImplantDiseasesandConditions.JournalofPeriodontology.2018;doi:10.1002/JPER.17-0721. SlotsJ.Periodontitis:Facts,fallaciesandthefuture.Periodontology2000.2017;doi:10.1111/prd.12221. NazirMA.Prevalenceofperiodontaldisease,itsassociationwithsystemicdiseasesandprevention.InternationalJournalofHealthSciences.2017;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5426403/.AccessedSept.30,2019. GrazianiF,etal.Nonsurgicalandsurgicaltreatmentofperiodontitis:Howmanyoptionsforonedisease?Periodontology2000.2017;doi:10.1111/prd.12201. SalinasTJ(expertopinion).MayoClinic.Jan.14,2020. RamoaCP,etal.Increasingpopularityofwaterpipetobaccosmokingandelectroniccigaretteuse:Implicationsfororalhealthcare.JournalofPeriodontalResearch.2017;doi:10.1111/jre.12458. GuZ,etal.Marijuana-derivedcannabinoidstriggeraCB2/PI3Kaxisofsuppressionoftheinnateresponsetooralpathogens.FrontiersinImmunology.2019;doi:10.3389/fimmu.2019.02288. IsikAndrikopoulosG,etal.Electronicnicotinedeliverysystems(ENDS)andtheirrelevanceinoralhealth.Toxics.2019;doi:10.3390/toxics7040061. Related Periodontitis Products&Services Book:MayoClinicFamilyHealthBook,5thEdition Newsletter:MayoClinicHealthLetter—DigitalEdition ShowmoreproductsandservicesfromMayoClinic PeriodontitisSymptoms&causesDiagnosis&treatmentDoctors&departments Advertisement MayoClinicdoesnotendorsecompaniesorproducts.Advertisingrevenuesupportsournot-for-profitmission. Advertising&Sponsorship Policy Opportunities AdChoices MayoClinicPress Checkoutthesebest-sellersandspecialoffersonbooksandnewslettersfromMayoClinicPress. 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