We have been educated on the advantages of good oral hygiene since we were kids. However, managing a busy life can occasionally cause us to lose track of our oral health, and periodontal disease is one of the common dental issues caused by this. Nearly 47.2% of persons ages 30 and older have the illness, which also affects older people. In the US, over 70.1% of people between 65 and 70 years old have periodontal disease. The Woodlands periodontist can help you manage the illness with the best strategy.
Understanding the stages of periodontal disease
Gum disease, commonly called periodontal disease, is a dental ailment that affects the gums surrounding an individual’s teeth and causes inflammation and infections. Most of the time, bacteria in the mouth are to blame. Unchecked bacterial development in the mouth may result in plaque and tartar formation, which can be acidic and eventually lead the protective tissue of the gums and bones to erode.
The stages of periodontal disease
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, has four stages of development. Knowing the four stages of gum disease will help you identify if you have it or not and get treatment before the condition gets worse:
1. Gingivitis
The early stage of gum disease is known as gingivitis or gum inflammation. This occurs when plaque builds around the teeth with little signs, most of which are painless. Approximately 10%–15% of individuals with gingivitis risk progressing to periodontal disease in its later stages. People with poor oral or dental health are more likely to develop gingivitis.
2. Initial periodontitis
If gingivitis is not treated, it has the possibility to spread to the lower periodontal structures, which are the tissues that bind the teeth to the bone. At this point, the virus has penetrated the bones and begins the process of breaking down the bones. Acute initial periodontitis, affecting about 10% of the population, is characterized by the initial or earliest symptoms of bone loss.
3.Mild periodontitis
Mild periodontitis is a synonym for stage 3 of periodontal disease. A person with this condition might discover that symptoms include severe bone loss, which can remove 20% to 50% or even more of the tooth’s root surface as an outcome of ongoing inflammation of the tissues and bone degradation. Mild periodontitis causes chronic inflammation, which must be treated immediately, or it will quickly proceed to the fourth and last stage, progressive periodontitis.
