Page Header Page Content Page Footer
For a better experience on Oralb.com, Please enable javascript in your browser.
Australia - English
Please select a location
  • Africa
  • South Africa
  • Asia Pacific
  • Australia
  • Chinese Mainland - Greater China
  • Taiwan - Greater China
  • Hong Kong SAR - Greater China
  • India
  • 日本
  • Korea
  • New Zealand
  • Singapore
  • Europe
  • Belgie
  • Belgique
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Deutschland
  • Espana
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Latvija
  • Lithuania
  • Magyar
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Österreich
  • Pоссия
  • Polska
  • Portugal
  • Schweiz
  • Sweden
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • Latin America The Carribean
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Middle East
  • arabia - السعودية
  • ישראל
  • North America
  • Canada - English
  • Canada - French
  • United States United - English English
  • United States - Español
LOGOUT CONFIRMATION
Are you sure you want to logout? Logout
  • Part of the P&G Family:
  • logo
  • DentalCare.com
Contact Us
Oral-B
  • SHOP
    • Electric Toothbrushes
      • Electric Toothbrushes
    • Replacement Brush Heads
      • Replacement Brush Heads
      • Replacement Brush Heads
    • Kids
      • Kids
    • Manual Toothbrushes
      • Manual Toothbrush
      • Manual Toothbrushes
    • Toothpaste & Mouthwash
      • Toothpaste and Mouthwash
      • Toothpaste & Mouthwash
    • Floss
      • Floss
      • Floss
    • SHOP ALL >>
  • LEARN
      • Why Oral-B
      • Why Oral-B
      • Oral-B Floss
      • Oral-B Toothpaste
      • Oral-B Mouthwash
      • Why Electric toothbrush
      • Genius AI
      • Oral-B App
      • Oral-B Genius vs. Sonic
      • Children's Oral Health
      • Disney Magic Timer
      • Conditions
      • Conditions
      • Bad Breath
      • Cavities & Tooth Decay
      • Gum Health
      • Tartar & Plaque
      • Teeth Sensitivity
      • Tooth Enamel
      • Teeth Whitening
      • Life stages
      • Life Stages
      • Infants
      • Kids
      • Braces
      • Adults
      • Life 5
      • VIEW ALL
      • Solutions
      • Solutions
      • Electric Toothbrushes
      • Manual Toothbrushes
      • Floss
      • Toothpaste
      • Mouthwash
  • Home >
  • What is Periodontitis? Treatments, Signs, and Symptoms
Print This

What is Periodontitis? Treatments, Signs, and Symptoms

Recommended 5 Times Recommend This
Share:

You're now leaving oralb.com

We recommend you review the third-party site’s privacy policy, as their privacy practices may differ from P&G.

Any personal information you provide on the third-party’s website will be managed in accordance with their privacy policy.

Thank you for visiting oralb.com.

Please click the link below to

Share on

Email Thismail

Share This By E-mail

What is Periodontitis? Treatments, Signs, and Symptoms

There are (#) errors on this page.
Email Service Unavailable
   
   
   
   
SEND
CANCEL

E-mail Sent Successfully

Your email has been successfully sent to the recipient.

Continue
What is periodontitis

Periodontitis: More Severe Form of Gum Disease
Causes of Periodontitis
Periodontitis Symptoms
Periodontitis Treatment and Prevention

The mouth is the gateway to the body and can also show the early signs of serious health problems developing in other areas. This is why going to a dental professional for semi-annual checkups is important. One condition to stay on top of is periodontal disease. Often grouped together with gingivitis, it is a form of gum disease that can impact other areas of your mouth, including your teeth and tongue. For this reason, educating yourself on the subject, including how to prevent it and how to treat it, is important.

Periodontitis: More Severe Form of Gum Disease

While grouped with gum disease, periodontitis is essentially a more extreme case. Gingivitis begins as gum inflammation. If gingivitis goes without treatment, it develops into periodontitis, or gum disease. Eventually, the inner layers of the gum begin to pull away from the teeth. This forms pockets on either side of the teeth. The spaces collect debris brushing your teeth will not always remove, causing infection in the gums and the gum line to shrink. As the gum line shrinks,the pockets enlarge, and you run the risk of teeth falling out and suffering from other serious oral conditions.

Causes of Periodontitis

The major culprit of periodontitis is plaque. When plaque builds up around teeth, it begins to infect the gums, leading to gingivitis and eventually gum disease. However, there are secondary causes. For women, hormonal changes due to pregnancy, menopause or monthly menstruation can bring about the development of periodontal disease. Certain forms of illnesses, ranging from diabetes to HIV, can affect the immune system, resulting in a loss of elasticity in the gums.

Some oral forms of medication have a side effect resulting in the reduction of saliva. Saliva is used to protect the gums and teeth. Without adequate saliva, an abnormal growth of gum tissue may develop, or it may prevent food debris from washing down the throat, each of which has the potential of bringing on the disease. If you brush and floss every day yet you still are experiencing early signs of gum disease, you should see your primary healthcare physician as you may be experiencing other medical issues.

Periodontitis Symptoms

Do your gums bleed after brushing your teeth? Chances are this is not because you are brushing too hard. It is due to early stages of gingivitis. Now, if you just started to floss again, you will likely see some blood due to the irritation it causes in the gums initially. However, this should only last a short amount of time and even so, your gums should not bleed just from brushing.

Other symptoms include swollen gums, the persistence of bad breath (or having a bad taste in your mouth), shifting teeth and the formation of pockets between your teeth and your gums. On top of this, it is possible you actually have gum disease but just can't see the conditions, depending on the area of the gums suffering from periodontitis. Seeing your dental professional every six months allows you to stay on top of this potential condition.

Symptoms of periodontitis

Periodontitis Treatment and Prevention

Preventing periodontal disease and the development of gingivitis is rather straight forward. Simply put, prevention is the best periodontal disease treatment. To catch dental problems before they become severe, it’s good to get into the habit of checking your mouth daily as part of your overall dental health care routine. Look for changes in the color or appearance of your teeth, gums, tongue, and gingival tissues. By following proper plaque control measures, periodontitis prevention should be easy. For starters, you must brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. Using an antibacterial rinse after you brush can clean out hard to reach plaque and, if you have developed pockets around the gums, it cleans out bacteria and debris stuck in the pockets, allowing your gums time to tighten back up. Additionally, going in to see your dental professional for semi-annual teeth cleanings is recommended.

So, what happens if you have developed the disease and need help with managing your periodontitis? Well, your dental professional will give you some toothpaste options, designed specifically for gum health. An Oral-B electric toothbrush helps with plaque control as well. As long as the situation hasn't reached a critical level, this is really all you need to do (while following proper plaque control steps). However, if the pockets are large and will not return to normal on their own, oral surgery is needed to tighten the gum tissue back up. Severe periodontal disease treatment may also involve a deep cleaning procedure called scaling and root planing, in which the dental hygienist or dentist removes tartar from both above and below the gum line and smooths rough spots on tooth roots where plaque-causing bacteria tend to gather. By attending your regular dental appointments, you can avoid this kind of extreme treatment.

Great oral care can  help prevent periodontitis

Related Products

  • Genius 9000 Black Product
    QUICK VIEW

    Oral-B GENIUS 9000 Black

  • Genius 9000
    QUICK VIEW

    Oral-B GENIUS 9000 White

Related Articles

What are Gingivitis and Gum Disease?

Anatomy Of Gingivitis

Treating Gingivitis in its Early Stage

Know These Three Causes of Gingivitis

What Exactly Is Gingivitis?

  • Connect With Us
  • Visit Oral-B's YouTube Channel

Consumer Notice: This is a notice to inform any consumer who has recently purchased an Oral B Star Wars Kids Gift Pack (82321745) from participating retailers, that there is an on pack discrepancy regarding the number of brush head refills offered in the pack. Namely, three (3) refills are stated to be offered, however it should state this pack includes one (1) refill. Please note, this does not affect the value of the pack ($RRP 49.99). In line with your consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law, please direct any consumer complaints regarding the purchase of this product to our P&G consumer AU hotline 1800 614 820 to receive a full refund or receive the correct # of refills in pack.

Explore

  • PRODUCTS
  • Electric Toothbrushes
  • Replacement Brush Heads
  • Manual Toothbrushes
  • Kids
  • Battery Powered
  • Floss
  • Toothpaste & Mouthwash
  • BY NEED
  • Cavities
  • Tartar
  • Plaque
  • Gum Protection
  • Sensitivity
  • Whitening
  • Ortho Care
  • Bad Breath

GET HELP

  • Contact Us
  • Questions?
  • 180 Day Money Back Guarantee
  • FAQs

RELATED SITES

  • P&G Brands
  • dentalcare-aus.com.au
  • Braun
    • Better Business Bureau
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy
  • AdChoices ad_choices_icon
  • Site Map
  • © 2021 Procter & Gamble