Periodontal Disease

Since I am on my two week break from my magnificent education at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine, I thought I would not completely free myself from dental related material and make a post about periodontal disease.

This is obviously a very advanced case.




First of all, after spending a semester in school and covering a handful of diseases related to the oral cavity along with other systemic diseases, it is interesting to see how many problems with our body are related to the ubiquitous "inflammatory response". You see, as our immune system detects a problem, it sends in the cavalry to put out the fire. This all seems fine and dandy except for there is a little collateral damage, especially when the infection is chronic which makes our fibroblasts and other cells mess up the surrounding tissues. Periodontal disease is no exception. Basically, periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the periodontium, which includes the alveolar bone, gingiva, periodontal ligament, and cementum (jaw bones, gums, the ligament that holds the tooth in the socket, and the root surface). Although the exact method of this tissue degradation is not completely understood, we know it is caused by some environmental factors as well as predisposing factors thus it is termed "multifactorial".


Check out the bone resorption.



We have all heard the term, "gingivitis", right? If you decide to stop flossing your teeth and decide to not pick up you tooth brush for a little under a week, you will notice your gums seem a little inflamed, tender, and red. This is a classic inflammatory response that the body produces to fight the bacteria causing the damage. Gingivitis is the precursor for periodontal disease. Basically, gingivitis is not a big deal, it is not chronic and can clear up in a week or so with good brushing, flossing, and mouth rinse. It is reversible. BUT, if left untreated for a month, this can progress into a chronic state as the bacteria migrate down the tooth towards the root and overwhelm the body's immune response causing bone resorption and degrading the tooth-socket interface. In short Periodontitis is the situation where bacteria are running willy-nilly up and down your teeth causing tooth detachment and bone loss in addition to an infection which can spread throughout your body causing all sorts of systemic issues which is a topic for another day.

Where does the problem originate?? Well, in our mouths we have a thriving population of bugs that like to eat the stuff that we like (mostly sugars). These bacteria basically poop and pee out an acidic slurry that demineralizes out bone as well as release endotoxin.

Our favorite perio-patient, Bleeding Gums Murphy!


In closing, brush, floss, and see your dentist for regular check ups. Although the destruction of periodontal disease is irreversible, it can be halted with proper attention and a little scraping and possible surgery from the neighborhood periodontist.