An Ultimate Guide to Fight against Gum Disease

Written by: Syed Faraz Mujtaba

All Rights Reserved to Operated System

Teeth are the gift of God but unfortunately, we do not take care of them. Usually, we used to forget that we have to wash our teeth. Before going to sleep, when we do not bother to brush them, the remaining particles of food, with in our mouth, start decaying. This process of decaying leads to tooth ache and then our bad days start. Gums diseases usually occur at any stage about some type of gum diseases affect about 75 percent of adults over age of 35. PERIODONTAL DISEASE: When our gum tissues stop protecting our gums and get loose, then a serious disease may occur, known as periodontal disease (PD). In fact, between the teeth and gums, a gap, called as sulcus is present and this disease first attack in the sulcus. Here, the attachment of gums and teeth start loosening and gap or sulcus takes the shape of pocket. Basically, when we do not was our teeth properly. Overnight, the harmful bacteria start plaque formation between the teeth. It leads to the bleeding of gums and further infectious diseases. TYPES OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE: According to severity of PD, we may classify it into, Gingivitis and Periodontitis. When PD is at initial stage and only causes a mild infection, it is Gingivitis. While, this mild form of disease, may leads to a severe infection, known as Periodontitis, when our gums get more severely affected. Initial symptoms of PD may be, bleeding gums, gums that can easy pulled away, bad breath coming from mouth, loosening of teeth and tooth aches etc. when a

person feel these symptoms, he must consult to a dentist, for further analysis and treatments. Some factors can increase the chances of Periodontitis and these may be for example, if some body has any systematic disease like Diabetes, if some one is a chain smoker or have a bad habit of chewing, some one having bent teeth or use of anti-epilepsy and anti-cancer drugs. These factors may lead to serious form of PD. Lets discuss each factor: Smoking: Smoking plays a major role in the formation of bacteria with in the oral cavity and these bacteria cause the oral diseases. Stress: it affects indirectly by affecting the immune system. Under stress

conditions, our brain does not work properly and immune system gets weak. It causes our body less susceptible to bacterial attacks. Genetic Tendency: Oral disease may also occur as inherited disease. Many oral diseases come down generation after generation. Medications: some drugs also cause PD because of their adverse affects. Diabetes: In diabetes, any body part may get affected. So, periodontitis may be a result of diabetes. Bent Teeth: grinding or bent teeth also cause PD. As they produce a pressure on supporting tissues and gums and they get destroyed easily under this pressure. GINGIVITIS:

It is not a serious stage and can be handles easily. It happens due to less care of teeth and insufficient hygiene of mouth. The victim of Gingivitis, usually, feels no embarrassment or worry, but it must be prevent at early stage. Patient must consult a dentist, so that it may not convert into Periodontitis. Gingivitis may occur in following forms; Bleeding Gum Gingivitis: Just like any cut on hand, if we do not take care of it, the cut will be converted into a harmful wound, like wise, if bleeding starts with in the gums; it may leads to bleeding gum gingivitis. We can treat it by having proper tooth brush and flossing. Ulcerative Gingivitis: It is an infected form of gingivitis accompanied with ulceration. With the spread of this infection, swelling and sloughing off of dead tissues may occur. It is still unknown that how it spreads, but it has been thought that certain bacteria like fusiform bacteria and Spirochetes are involved in spreading of infection. Acute Nectorizing Ulcerative Gingivitis: It is an infection caused by many microbes, so it is a poly microbial infection. It leads to bleeding gums, severe ulceration and injured tissue of gum.

Bacteroids, Fusobacterium and Spirochetes cause this type of gingivitis. Usually young children get victim of this disease. Its causes are over increasing population of bacteria due to unhygienic food, smoking and poor diet. TREATMENTS FOR GENGIVITIS: It must be clear that gingivitis is reversible and we can treat it at early stages before it convert into an irreversible, serious form, periodontitis. We can follow the given instructions for preventing gingivitis; Give Some Minutes to your Teeth: Getting rid of gingivitis would be very easy if you are giving some minutes to tooth brushing and flossing daily. Brush at the Gumline: Plaque usually starts appearing from gumline. Therefore, while brushing; keeping brush at the angle of 40o can clean up the teeth as well as gumline. Use Two Toothbrushes: It is also recommended that, use two toothbrushes. Allow one of them to becomes dry and use other one, mean while. Use electric Rotary Tooth brush: Investigations have been proved that use of electric rotary brushes remove 98.2 percent of plaque while hand brushing removes only 48.6 percent of plaque. Therefore, try to use powerful tools for brushing.

Strengthening of Bones: Just like other bones of the body, which get brittle and hard when do not find enough Calcium, like wise jaw bones also require sufficient amount of calcium. So strengthens your jaw bones by taking enough amount of calcium through dairy products. Gum Massage: Gum massage may be done by gripping gum between thumb and index finger. This type of massage enhances the blood circulation in gums. Stock Vitamin C in your Body: Vitamin C does not play any role in prevention of gingivitis but it helps in checking of gums bleeding status, as bleeding of gums is one of the signs of gingivitis. Kill it With H2O2: Swish a 3 percent solution of H2O2, mixed with half and half of water, around the mouth three times a day. It will prevent from over production of bacteria in oral cavity. Use a Gum stimulator: Rather than using toothpicks, a gum stimulator is best for removing food particles from teeth. Use of Baking Soda and Water:

Apply, baking soda mixed with a bit of water, along the gumlines and then brush the teeth. It will polish the teeth, neutralizes the affect of bacteria and deodorize the bad smell. PERIODONTITIS: It is the serious stage of PD. It is advanced Gingivitis and start from plaque formation by bacteria. With in the plaque, many bacteria produce toxins. These toxins affect the strength of gums and gums loose their joining with the teeth. Supporting tissues of teeth get broken destroyed. It has many types; Aggressive Periodontitis: It occurs in those patients, who do not have any other disease or who are al right medically. Destruction of bones and loosening of gum attachment are its common features. Chronic Periodontitis: It is very common in adults but may occur in other ages. In this form, an inflammation, with in the gums, cause loosening of gum attachment, loss of bone and sulcus into a pocket. It is normally occurring form of Periodontitis. Periodontitis Early-Onset: If periodontitis is affecting the children and left untreated then it will leads to the loss of teeth at premature stage, which is really harmful. It must be considered at early stage.

Periodontitis Juvenile: If same symptoms like pocket formation, loosening of gums, bleeding gums are present in adolescents and children then it is periodontitis juvenile. Periodontitis Marginal: It is now considered as periodontal disease. In this case, the resorption of crown of alveolar bone occurs. Pocket formation and cup like alveolar crown resorption are the major symptoms. This process is more frequent in children as compared to adults. A Systematic Disease Initiation from Periodontitis: Many systematic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease are normally related with Periodontitis. It usually occurs at in early age. Necrotizing Periodontal Disease: Usually, those individuals, who have HIV or Malnutrition, become the victim of this form. Common features are a necrosis or injury in gingival tissues and periodontal ligaments. These injuries lead to the occurrence of Necrosis Periodontal Disease. TREATMENTS FOR PD: Non-surgical treatments:

PD treatments may be achieved, by using non-surgical methods like scaling and root planing. In root planing, the plaques are being removed from pockets and surfaces of teeth are being cleaned. Many Periodontologists believe that, after having these types of non-surgical treatments, patient do not need any surgery. But, if these treatments fail to maintain healthy teeth then a patient must need further surgeries. Surgical treatments: If non-surgical treatments fail to make ones teeth and tissues health, then Periodontologists recommend periodontal surgery. Four types of surgeries are as follows; Regenerative Procedures Pocket Reduction Procedures Crown Lengthening Soft Tissue Grafts Dental Implants: We can replace our teeth completely by using dental implants. But dental implants are usually ineffective because they are very costly and permanent teeth need much care, as they can be destroyed easily by direct bite. Cosmetic Procedures:

Many periodontologists also use cosmetic procedures, which are more effective than other type of treatments. These may be of following types; Soft Tissue Grafts Crown Lengthening Procedures Ridge Extension Use of Lasers: In addition to root planning and scaling, use of lasers may enhance the effectiveness of non-surgical treatments. But a proper care is required in it because lasers have different wave lengths, which may be injurious to tissue and gums. Periodontologists must required proper attention, while using lasers. They must know that what type of wave length would be suitable for patient. BAD BREATH: Bad breath is a very bad affect of oral diseases. It usually comes out due to microbes, artificial teeth, stomach problems or tobacco. We can treat bad breath. Lets discuss its treatments; o Oral microbes: Oral microbes start gathering whenever they find food particles. Presence of microbes is the major cause of bad breath. It can be treated by proper brushing of teeth. Flossing is also a best treatment, in this case. This kind of bad breath can be treated by special oral hygienic treatments.

o Unhygienic food: Use of unhygienic food causes infection which leads to bad breath. It can also be occur by using food like onion, garlic etc. After eating such kind of food, a person must use mint or mouth fresheners for preventing bad breath. o Smoking: Smoking makes our mouth more susceptible to bacteria. It leads to infection and then mouth cancer. It is a major cause of very bad breath and the only remedy is to stop smoking. o Artificial teeth: Artificial teeth give bad breath because we cannot brush them as properly as natural ones. So we must give proper attention, during brushing, to them. o Dehydrated mouth: Dried or dehydrated mouth gives bad breath because microbes cannot be flushed away from mouth, in this case. Basically, liquids in our mouth, may take away the microbes, which is impossible in former case, so proper brushing and flossing can compete with bad breath in case of dried mouth. PREVENTION FROM BAD BREATH: If a person having bad breath problem due to periodonditis then it can be treated by using different treatments; Brushing teeth daily and properly

 Flossing after every meal Use of medicated mouth wash, especially one recommended by a Dentist Use of mint or mouth fresheners after eating onion or garlic etc. Especial brush before night sleep Avoid smoking Consult a periodontologists, if nothing above is controlling bad breath. REMEDIES FOR CONTROLLING PD: If we do not control PD then tooth loss may occurs. For prevention of PD several mouthwashes, tooth brushes and tooth pastes are available now. Lets have a glance over it; A proxa brush: A proxa brush is especially designed brush and its shape is just like a small bottle brush. Its advantage is that it slides between teeth and crown to reach those places, where it is hard to reach. Use of Listerine: It has been proved that mouth wash of Listerine is best for preventing plaque formation on teeth. Use of Bisguanide Antiseptic: Bisguanide antiseptics have the ability to remain, too long, with in the mouth. They are the true anti-plaque agents which prevent the plaque formation very effectively.

Use of Melatonin: Research has proved that melatonin plays a very important role in fighting against PD. It acts in two ways; It promotes bone formation It stimulates bodys immune system It is a supplement which fights against PD by maintaining the bones levels in oral cavity, as it inhibits the affects of cells that work for resorption of oral bones. It also enhances the response of body to fight against oral bacteria. It has been noted that levels of melatonin in saliva varies according to PD, which indicates that melatonin plays a major role in prevention of bacterial plaques and inflammations. Use of Vitamin C, D&E Supplements: Natural supplements like Calcium, Vitamin C, D&E also play a major role in fighting against PD but they are not alone be recommended by periodontologists. In fact, patients must know the depth of pockets. If a person has no bleeding and a depth of one to two millimeters, it shows that he has a healthy mouth. If a person has a pocket depth of three to four millimeters, it means he require scaling and root planning. If a persons pocket size is five millimeters or more, it means he requires surgical treatments and the only supplements will never remain effective, so far.

Use of OraMD: Oral infection begins, when bacteria forms a lining around teeth and start producing toxins. OraMD is oil, which goes under the pockets and do not wash away like other mouth washes. It prevents bacteria from production of toxins. It is a great product, which is 100 percent natural. It consists of essential oils of peppermint, almond and spearmint. It is formulated to fight against bleeding gums, production of oral bacteria, gingivitis and bad breath. Fluoride containing Mouth washes: Dental decaying can be prevented by using fluoride containing mouth washes. They are recommended for; Patients who have gone through radiation therapy Children having high caries risk Patients having dried and dehydrated mouth Children having orthodontic treatments Use of Chlorhexidine: Chlorhexidine has high levels of substantivity. Substantivity is the drugs ability to bind with soft and hard tissues. It has anti-plaque properties because it binds with gums tissues and gets adsorbed at oral surfaces. It has long lasting affects.

While using Chlorhexidine mouth washes, it is strictly advised to patients that avoid intake of coffee and tea because it leaves stains on the teeth which are very difficult to remove. Use of Triclosan: Triclosan, a trichlora-2-hydroxy diphenyl ether, is a non-ionic antiseptic. When it is used as a mouth wash, in combination with zinc, it works as an antiseptic agent. Use of Colgate Total Plax Mouth washes: Its components are Tricolsane and Sodium fluoride. Tricolsane does not have substaintivity but its retention with in the teeth may be increased by using different chemicals. Alcoholic content of Mouth washes: While using mouth washes, one must take care because they contain alcohols. Alcohol acts as a preservative in mouth washes and may lead to certain disadvantage. It, often, advised to small children, not to use mouth washes because they cannot spit them properly. Like wise, use of mouth wash increases the chances of cancer. Because, alcohol from mouth wash and tobacco from smoking, together cause pharyngeal cancer.

INDEX
Following links may be followed for having more information about gum diseases; www.perio.org www.medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com www.gitract.info/articles/mouth/gum-disease.php www.ezinearticles.com/?bad-breath
www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/47/68.cfm

www.mamashealth.com www.saveyoursmile.com www.oramd.com/gumdisease www.fightgumdisease.com