Periodontitis: causes, symptoms and treatment

Periodontitis is a gum inflammation which can affect a lot more than just the gum. Dental plaque on your teeth causes an inflammation around the edge of your gums. This is called gingivitis. This inflammation can spread to the lower part of your jawbone. Eventually this causes periodontitis (bone decay or even loss) and at a later stage you may lose your teeth or implants.

What causes periodontitis?

Gum inflammation is caused by bacteria built up in the dental plaque. Dental plaque is a combination of a soft and sticky and an almost invisible layer of saliva proteins and a high percentage of bacteria that settles on your teeth. This soft layer can turn into a hard layer, called calculus, that sticks to your teeth. On top of this hard deposit a second layer of dental plaque will be formed.

The above-mentioned inflammation can be found deep in the jawbone located around your teeth. This inflammation causes a pocket to be found between the gum and teeth. This second dental plaque will enable the inflammation to spread deeper, causing fibres that break and a receding jawbone.