Periodontitis
Do you need to get your teeth cleaned for periodontitis?
Periodontitis is caused by the progression of gingivitis, where food debris or soft plaque around the teeth calcifies into tartar due to saliva, leading to further infection and disease of the periodontal tissues. This condition is known as periodontitis. The fundamental treatment for periodontitis involves removing the irritants, which means removing the tartar through teeth cleaning, followed by further treatment. After the tartar is removed, treatment can involve applying medication to the gums or performing bone graft surgery on the alveolar bone to aid in the recovery from periodontitis. Therefore, the initial step in treating periodontitis is teeth cleaning, which is also the first basic phase of treatment. After cleaning, medication is applied, followed by the maintenance phase for the teeth.
Does periodontitis hurt?
Periodontitis is a condition that involves pain symptoms. It is an inflammation of the periodontal support tissues, including gingivitis and inflammation of the alveolar bone. In the early stages of periodontitis, the gum tissue is swollen and congested, leading to bleeding when eating or brushing teeth. This is mainly caused by irritants around the teeth such as tartar and dental plaque. This condition can be improved by dental cleaning, during which there might be minor discomfort. In the advanced stages of periodontitis, there is resorption of the alveolar bone, which may be surrounded by inflammation, also causing pain. Timely dental cleaning and manual scaling followed by guided regeneration of the alveolar bone are necessary. With timely treatment, the pain symptoms can be controlled.
What should I do if my front tooth falls out due to periodontitis?
Periodontitis has caused the loss of a front tooth, necessitating prompt dental restoration. After the loss of a front tooth due to periodontitis, it's important first to check whether there has been any resorption of the alveolar bone. If the alveolar bone is normal and shows no signs of inflammatory resorption, dental restoration can proceed directly. If the condition of the alveolar bone is favorable, an implant can be considered. During implantation, a single tooth is implanted, allowing for direct restoration with a porcelain crown without the need to grind the adjacent healthy teeth. However, if opting for a bridge, it may be necessary to grind the adjacent healthy teeth to support the bridge, meaning that at least three teeth would need to be involved in the restoration.
What department should I go to for periodontitis?
Periodontitis is an inflammatory reaction that occurs in the supporting tissues of the periodontium, commonly presenting as gingivitis or periodontitis in clinical settings. Gingivitis, the early stage of periodontitis, is caused by food residues left after eating, which calcify under the action of saliva to form tartar. This tartar further irritates and causes inflammation of the gingival or periodontal tissues. Initially, one should visit the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) department for this condition. If the specialties are further divided, one can consult the oral medicine department under ENT. If oral medicine is further subdivided, a visit to the periodontal department is necessary. Therefore, for detailed treatment of periodontitis, it is advisable to visit the periodontology department within the oral specialties to undergo teeth cleaning followed by gingival medication to improve the symptoms of periodontitis.
Does periodontitis require tooth extraction?
Whether tooth extraction is needed for periodontitis depends on the severity of the inflammation. If the periodontitis is not severe, with no absorption of the alveolar bone, and there is only simple inflammation of the gums, it typically manifests as gum bleeding or bleeding when brushing teeth. There can be dental soft plaque around the gums, or dental plaque irritates and causes the gums to become red, swollen, and pus may ooze. In this case, scaling can be done to remove local irritants, followed by rinsing and medicating around the teeth. This can effectively control the progression of periodontitis and does not require tooth extraction. However, if it causes absorption of the alveolar bone and significant loosening of the teeth, tooth extraction may be necessary.
How is periodontitis treated at the dentist?
The treatment plan for periodontitis and caries requires first taking an X-ray to understand the severity of the periodontitis. If the periodontitis is not severe and is merely inflammation of the gum tissue, characterized by red, swollen gums, pus discharge, or bleeding, this situation can be addressed by dental cleaning to remove local irritants, followed by medicated rinsing around the gums to improve inflammation. If the periodontitis is more severe, involving absorption of the alveolar bone, then guided bone regeneration procedures are necessary. After basic treatment of the periodontitis, the teeth enter a maintenance phase, requiring regular follow-up visits.
What to do after tooth extraction due to periodontitis?
After tooth extraction due to periodontitis, it is necessary to promptly fit a dental prosthesis. Periodontitis generally involves significant loss of the alveolar bone, leading to tooth mobility and even loss. After extracting a tooth due to periodontitis, it is essential first to observe for three months. After three months, once the absorption of the alveolar bone stabilizes, dental prosthesis can be performed. Temporary restorative measures, such as using temporary teeth, are also an option during this period. Temporary teeth generally require fitting with a permanent prosthesis after three months, at which point the temporary teeth are discarded. After fitting a permanent prosthesis, it is important to avoid hard foods since the jawbone conditions are not ideal due to periodontitis, and chewing hard objects could accelerate the absorption of the alveolar bone. Therefore, after tooth extraction due to periodontitis, temporary teeth can be worn for three months before permanent prosthetic treatment is carried out.
What department should I go to for periodontitis?
Patients with periodontitis should seek treatment in the periodontal department. If there is no periodontal department available, they can visit the department of oral medicine, or the department of stomatology or otolaryngology. Periodontitis is an inflammation of the periodontal support tissues, including gingivitis and periodontitis, with gingivitis being the early stage of periodontitis. It mainly occurs due to not brushing or rinsing promptly after eating, leading to the accumulation of food residues around the teeth. This condition requires timely teeth cleaning to remove these residues, otherwise, it could cause bleeding during brushing or eating and may further develop into periodontal pockets, leading to the appearance of periodontitis. Periodontitis might also involve the loss of alveolar bone support tissues, which requires timely dental cleaning followed by medication or a guided bone regeneration procedure.
Does periodontitis require root canal treatment?
Periodontitis is an inflammation of the tooth-supporting tissues caused by the lack of timely brushing and rinsing after eating, where food residues or soft plaque become calculus under the calcification of saliva. This condition requires tooth cleaning, which is a procedure performed around the teeth, and does not require root canal treatment. If periodontitis progresses further and bacteria from the periodontal pocket reach the root tip, it can cause inflammation around the tooth including the root tip. This may lead to a pathological condition of the dental nerve. If the root tip inflammation is caused by the retrograde action of periodontitis, root canal treatment is necessary because it affects the dental nerve. If there is no concurrent inflammation of the dental nerve, direct periodontal treatment can be performed. However, if retrograde root tip inflammation has occurred, then root canal treatment of the tooth is required.
What is periodontitis?
Periodontitis is an inflammation of the periodontal supporting tissues, including the gums, periodontal membrane, alveolar bone, and cementum. The early stages of periodontitis are mainly caused by irritants such as tartar, plaque, and soft deposits around the teeth, leading to swollen, pus-leaking gums, or bleeding during eating and brushing. If not treated promptly, tartar will adhere above and below the gums, forming supragingival and subgingival calculus. For calculus above the gums, ultrasonic cleaning, also known as dental scaling, is required. For calculus below the gums, it can be removed through curettage. If the mobility of the teeth improves after removal, the periodontitis can then enter the maintenance phase for the teeth.