Questions Relating to Periodontal Disease

What is periodontal disease?

Periodontal disease (also known as periodontal infection, gum disease or pyorrhea) is an ongoing infection in the gums around your teeth. The cause of periodontal disease is infectious bacteria which gets deep into your gums.

This infection starts destroying the bone that supports your teeth. If left untreated, it can lead to tooth loss. For more information, please see Understanding Oral Health.

What are the symptoms of periodontal infection?

Because periodontal infection grows under your gums, you can have no symptoms at all. More advanced cases can result in some of the following symptoms:

• Red, swollen or tender gums
• Tooth sensitivity to heat/cold
• Bad breath
• Deep pockets around the teeth
• Spaces between the teeth
• Loose or shifting teeth
• Missing teeth
• Gums receding around the teeth (longer looking teeth)

For more information see Understanding Oral Health 

Why, all of a sudden, is my dentist sending me to a periodontist?

Periodontists have advanced training in the treatment of periodontal disease and dental implants.
Patients with periodontal infection have a weakened resistance to the types of bacteria associated with this disease process.  Periodontal disease does not progress in a predictable linear fashion but rather tends to occur in episodic phases or in “bursts of activity.”  Some factors that can cause a dramatic increase in the likelihood and severity of periodontal disease are:

• Poor oral hygiene
• Dental plaque
• Smoking
• Genetic factors
• Stress
• Diet
• Age
• Illness

Two other important factors are:

• Lack of regular dental checkups.
• Lack of regular dental cleanings.

When your infection has a "burst of activity”, or when there are preliminary warning signs that this is may occur, your dentist may recommend periodontal treatment.

How is periodontal disease treated?

Periodontal disease is an infection in the gums and jawbone. The goal of treatment is to remove this infection and prevent it from coming back. For more information see Periodontal Therapies.

After your initial examination, we will thoroughly explain the choices in treatment and which treatment is best suited for your needs.

Does periodontal treatment hurt?

One of our primary concerns is that you have a comfortable experience during treatment. Towards this end, we offer an extensive array of the latest techniques to minimize discomfort.

For more information on these techniques, see Patient Comfort.

Many of our patients come back stating they are amazed at how little discomfort they experienced.

Why must I start treatment right away?

Periodontal infection grows in "bursts of activity".

It is likely that you have been referred to us because your general dentist has noticed an increase in infection activity.

This infection destroys the bone and tissues that support your teeth (leading to tooth loss). If not treated, there can be a number of consequences. Please see the Dental & Medical Consequences section for a list of these.