Periodontal disease is an infection of the periodontium that affects a high percentage of the adult population. It's as a result of weakening of the teeth, and if left untreated for a long time, the partial or total loss of natural teeth.

Causes

Periodontal disease is basically caused by a bacterial infection that gradually develops around the teeth, bacteria are present in the form of plaque and tartar.
Bacterial plaque is formed by colonies of bacteria that tend to stick to the surface of the teeth, has a white-yellowish, has a soft consistency - sticky and can be easily removed from the toothbrush.
The tartar however, is made up of several layers of plaque that are deposited on the tooth surface and calcified; has a yellow-brown color, it has a hard type of limestone and therefore can not be removed by brushing; is required for its removal so that the intervention of instrumental by the dentist. Tartar can also be superficial if only covers the dental crown (the visible part of the tooth) or can be profound if it is formed around the roots.
The bacteria in plaque and tartar produce toxins responsible for gingival inflammation (gingivitis); if this situation persists for a long time leads to the slow destruction of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone that supports the teeth (periodontitis). And 'demonstrated the existence of an individual predisposition to manifest this disease, not only due to hereditary factors as well as oral anatomy, general state of health, especially in the case of diabetes, bad habits, and certainly to smoke alone increases the risk of periodontal disease.
In recent studies eventually periodontal disease has been referred to as risk-factor for cardiovascular disease.

Symptoms

There are various symptoms, some of which most other early late; the most common are:

• GINGIVITIS: gums take on a bright red and are usually pale pink.
• BLEEDING GUM: the gums bleed easily.
• GUM POCKETS are formed around the tooth of the "bags" that can easily become a receptacle of bacterial plaque.
• ABSCESSES GINGIVAL: Under certain conditions, the plaque causes acute infections in the area of tissue circostantiai teeth that have the gum pockets.
• Bone resorption through intraoral radiographs you can 'highlight the lowering of the bone crest.
• MOBILITY DENTAL AND MIGRATION: In the advanced stage, the teeth become mobile losing stability to pressure and also can also move slowly coming so' to create spaces that did not exist before.

Therapy

The earlier we intervene by removing the causes of periodontal disease, the better the chances of blocking its progression and therefore to obtain a stable result.
Treatment consists primarily in the elimination of tartar performing the so-called surface ablation; secondly, if necessary, to intervene more in depth by removing the tartar attached to the roots via the subgingival curettage or root planing. This second step is important because the subgingival calculus is very harmful, as it is closer to alveolar bone that supports the teeth.
In addition to the instrumental removal of bacterial plaque and tartar, it is useful to perform the rinses with chlorhexidine mouthwashes. Recently, the pharmaceutical industry has made available for local use of antibiotics directly into the pockets of the gums, with a much better effect than traditional ones for general use. In very advanced cases of periodontal disease may be necessary in minor surgery periodontal pockets to successfully access and reduce the depth (gingival flaps) as the deepest pockets of 5 mm have a significant risk of recurrence of infection.

Maintenance and periodic reminders

Once the therapeutic phase performed by the dentist should not be underestimated the importance of the so-called maintenance, which involves two stages:

1) Oral hygiene at home by the patient rigorous, systematic and accurate, using not only the toothbrush but also other more specific instruments such as dental floss, toothpicks
2) Periodic inspections by the dentist to check the condition of the gums, the pockets and the proper removal of bacterial plaque.

It is essential for the stability of the results in the coming years the patient is in the studio to control the expiry of the period; this interval is variable from patient to patient but can typically be from a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 6 months. It is therefore extremely important to the regularity of periodic checks, also not experiencing particular problems, to prevent recurrence of periodontal disease.