Periodontal (Gum) Disease - National Institute of Dental and ...

Periodontal (gum) disease is an infection of the tissues that hold your teeth in place. It's typically caused by poor brushing and flossing habits that ... Skiptomaincontent Officialwebsitesuse.govA.govwebsitebelongstoanofficialgovernmentorganizationintheUnitedStates. Secure.govwebsitesuseHTTPSAlock(LockAlockedpadlock)orhttps://meansyou’vesafelyconnectedtothe.govwebsite.Sharesensitiveinformationonlyonofficial,securewebsites. × COVID-19informationandupdates OralhealthinformationfromCDC|NIHResources|NIDCRResources Home HealthInfo Periodontal(Gum)Disease HealthInfo Periodontal(Gum)Disease Onthispage Overview Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment HelpfulTips AdditionalResources RelatedPublications Onthispage 1-Overview 2-Causes 3-Symptoms 4-Diagnosis 5-Treatment 6-HelpfulTips 7-AdditionalResources 8-RelatedPublications Backtotop Overview Informationonpreventingandtreatingperiodontal(gum)diseaseandNIDCR’srelatedresearch. Periodontal(gum)diseaseisaninfectionofthetissuesthatholdyourteethinplace.It'stypicallycausedbypoorbrushingandflossinghabitsthatallowplaque—astickyfilmofbacteria—tobuildupontheteethandharden.Inadvancedstages,periodontaldiseasecanleadtosore,bleedinggums;painfulchewingproblems;andeventoothloss. Backtotop Causes Ourmouthsarefullofbacteria.Thesebacteria,alongwithmucusandotherparticles,constantlyformasticky,colorless“plaque”onteeth.Brushingandflossinghelpgetridofplaque.Plaquethatisnotremovedcanhardenandform“tartar”thatbrushingdoesn’tclean.Onlyaprofessionalcleaningbyadentistordentalhygienistcanremovetartar. Thereareanumberofriskfactorsforgumdisease,butsmokingisthemostsignificant.Smokingalsocanmaketreatmentforgumdiseaselesssuccessful.Otherriskfactorsincludediabetes;hormonalchangesingirlsandwomen;diabetes;medicationsthatlessentheflowofsaliva;certainillnesses,suchasAIDS,andtheirmedications;andgeneticsusceptibility. Backtotop Symptoms Symptomsofgumdiseaseinclude: Badbreaththatwon’tgoaway. Redorswollengums. Tenderorbleedinggums. Painfulchewing. Looseteeth. Sensitiveteeth. Recedinggumsorlongerappearingteeth. Backtotop Diagnosis Atadentalvisit,adentistordentalhygienistwill: Examineyourgumsandnoteanysignsofinflammation. Useatinyrulercalleda“probe”tocheckforandmeasureanypocketsaroundtheteeth.Inahealthymouth,thedepthofthesepocketsisusuallybetween1and3millimeters.Thistestforpocketdepthisusuallypainless. Askaboutyourmedicalhistorytoidentifyconditionsorriskfactors(suchassmokingordiabetes)thatmaycontributetogumdisease. Thedentalprofessionalmayalso: Takeanx-raytoseewhetherthereisanyboneloss. Referyoutoaperiodontist.Periodontistsareexpertsinthediagnosisandtreatmentofgumdiseaseandmayprovideyouwithtreatmentoptionsthatarenotofferedbyyourdentist. Backtotop Treatment Themaingoaloftreatmentistocontroltheinfection.Thenumberandtypesoftreatmentwillvary,dependingontheextentofthegumdisease.Anytypeoftreatmentrequiresthatthepatientkeepupgooddailycareathome.Thedentistmayalsosuggestchangingcertainbehaviors,suchasquittingsmoking,asawaytoimproveyourtreatmentresults. Backtotop HelpfulTips Youcankeepyourgumsandteethhealthyby: Brushingyourteethtwiceadaywithafluoridetoothpaste. Flossingregularlytoremoveplaquefrombetweenteeth.Or,youcanuseadevicesuchasaspecialbrush,woodenorplasticpick,ora“waterflosser”recommendedbyadentalprofessional. Visitingthedentistroutinelyforacheck-upandprofessionalcleaning. Quittingsmoking. Backtotop AdditionalResources PeriodontalDisease​ InformationfromtheCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventionaboutthecausesofperiodontaldisease,itswarningsigns,riskfactors,andpreventionandtreatment. MedlinePlus:GumDisease TheNIHNationalLibraryofMedicine'scollectionoflinkstogovernment,professional,andnon-profit/voluntaryorganizationswithinformationonperiodontaldiseaseandgingivitis. HowtoQuitSmoking  InformationfromtheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)onquittingsmoking. Backtotop RelatedPublications Coverimage OlderAdultsandOralHealth Body Factsheetonmaintainingoralhealthforalifetime. Publicationfiles Language English PDF: Numberofpages 6 pages DescargarPDFen inglés : Numberofpages 6 páginas Orderprintversion Pedirversiónimpresa Language Spanish PDF: Numberofpages 6 pages DescargarPDFen español : Numberofpages 6 páginas Orderprintversion Pedirversiónimpresa Backtotop Periodontal(Gum)DiseaseResearchfromtheNIDCR DisarmingaBlood-ClottingProteinPreventsGumDiseaseinMice ToothProteinPreventsBoneLossinMice ACensusInsideYourMouth TurningBacktheClockonGumDisease GenesAreKeytoOralHealth&Beyond MouthMicrobes TheQuesttoUnderstandDentalStemCells ResearchersIdentifyImmuneCulpritsLinkedtoInflammationandBoneLossinGumDisease LocalCellsDefendtheMouth LastReviewed October2018