PERIODONTAL
DISEASE  
DR. STEVEN T. CURRY
DENTAL OFFICE

                    PERIODONTAL DISEASE

Periodontal disease causes damage to the bone and soft tissue
surrounding the teeth.  It works quietly and usually painlessly, yet is one
of the leading causes of tooth loss.  

The process starts when masses of harmful bacteria collect in            
hard-to-clean areas where the teeth, gum and bone join.  These colonies
of bacteria produce hard, scaly deposits on the teeth which build up over
time to form thicker chunks of material, or tarter.

Over time, the bacterial colonies get larger and work their way deeper
and deeper into the areas around the teeth, damaging the gums and
bone.  This is when patients start noticing some signs and symptoms of
their developing periodontal disease:

  • a painless reddening or swelling of the gums
  • bleeding during brushing
  • a characteristic, unpleasant mouth odor
  • deep spaces between the gum and teeth (pockets)
  • tooth movement/mobility

And eventually,
  • gaps and hollows in the bone around the teeth
  • tooth loss
Plaque is sticky.  
It's the term for
massive colonies
of bacteria.  
Tarter is the
name used when
huge colonies of
bacteria become
calcified into
hard, scaly
deposits on teeth.
A diagnosis of periodontal disease doesn't mean you have to accept
wearing dentures.  We have helped many patients with gum disease
keep their own, natural teeth.  With better treatments and excellent
patient education, periodontal disease is now a manageable condition.
Periodontal
  Treatment

For optimum results,
periodontal treatment
must be aggressively
pursued after the first
symptoms appear.

  Some goals are:

1.  eliminate bleeding  
     and inflammation

2.  remove tarter and    
     bacterial films

3.  increase healing      
     while decreasing     
     the pocket depths    
     of gums

4.  maintain pockets     
     within accepted        
     limits

5.  replace any lost       
     bone to better           
     support teeth

6.  provide workable     
     strategies to aid in  
     managing gum         
     disease