Periodontal Disease,
Not many people may be aware of or understand what the term periodontal disease means, but most people certainly understand what gum disease is. Gum disease is progressive and occurs in stages – gingivitis, periodontis and advanced periodontist. The gum slowly wears out from around the teeth causing severe pain and ultimately the loss of the teeth itself. Hence it is necessary to know the symptoms of this disease. The paragraphs below provide a list of these symptoms.
Symptoms of periodontal disease
* Painful gums – the infected gum will be soft, swollen and painful. Pain can be felt while brushing, chewing (mastication) and when you drink hot or cold liquid. Some food items that contain spices or hot substances will cause severe burning and irritation during eating.
* Bleeding gums – the infected gums become loose and tear easily. As they tear easily, they will bleed, especially when brushing. Often severely affected gum will result in blood in the toothbrush and in the foam that you spit out while brushing. These are tell-tale signs of periodontal disease.
* Loose teeth – As the gum tears away from around the teeth, it become loose. This will also give rise to misaligned teeth and can be noticed by dentists.
Periodontal Disease,
* Difficulty chewing – the loosened teeth will wobble during chewing causing you discomfort. You will feel something different while chewing food and will have to chew carefully and slowly to avoid pain.
* Bad breath – the infected gums cause bad breath. This may also increase as the disease progresses and may become severe. This condition is called Halitosis.
* Sores in the gums – the infected gums become soft and get easily infected. This gives rise to sores in the gums. These sores also develop pus as the white blood cells die while fighting infection. The sores will slowly spread and cause more teeth to get infected if not identified and treated immediately.
* Receding gums – the gum slowly peels away revealing a larger portion of the teeth. Your teeth may suddenly look larger than normal. This can be taken as an important symptom of periodontal disease. The edges of the gums will look red as they recede and will be painful to touch. You will notice deep valleys between the teeth and the gums where plague may accumulate.
* Gap between teeth – this happens as the gums recede and the teeth begin to move away from each other. As the teeth move away, gaps appear in between them. This will keep on increasing and result in weakened gums and the teeth. At a later stage you may also loose your teeth.
* Loose dentures – when the gums recede as a result of infection, they cause the dentures to become loose. The dentures will need to be adjusted frequently. If this happens, tell your dentist to check the health of your gums.
* Persistent bad taste in the mouth – this is a result of periodontal disease. The bacteria that accumulate in the infected sores affect the sense of taste in your mouth.
To avoid gum disease you need to follow a strict dental hygiene. The symptoms given here will help you check and prevent this disease.