About Gum Disease

Leading cause of tooth loss

Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss. It is a “quiet” disease that affects millions of Americans and there is often no pain or discomfort until it is severe. Gum disease has also been linked to other serious health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, respiratory disease and cancer.

As periodontists, Dr. Setya, Dr. Bergman, and Dr. Reshad are highly trained specialists in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of gum disease and oral inflammation. They can eliminate the bacteria and bacterial deposits that are causing the disease and restore your oral health. In many cases they can even reverse the damage that was caused by effective gum disease treatment and rebuilding lost gum and bone tissue.

Progression of Gum Disease

When your gums and supporting jaw bone are healthy, complete and attached securely to your teeth, your teeth are firmly in position and stable. Healthy gums naturally attach to the teeth slightly below the gum line. They are pink, firm and do not bleed easily.

Bacteria gets onto your teeth and below the gum line from food and other sources. If the bacteria is not regularly removed by brushing and flossing, it forms a sticky film on your teeth known as plaque.

The bacterial plaque gives off toxins that eat away at the tooth enamel and gum tissue and cause the gums to become inflamed. This is the first stage of gum disease.

As the bacterial plaque continues to accumulate, the disease progresses in severity.  The gums detach from the teeth, the inflammation worsens and the supporting bone around the infected teeth is lost.

Gingivitis and periodontitis

The mildest level of gum disease is a bacterial infection of the gums only and is known as gingivitis. With gingivitis there is some redness and non-painful swelling of the gums, and the gums may bleed when brushing. At this stage there is no detachment of the gums from the teeth and no destruction of the supporting ligament and bone. The disease can be stopped and your oral health easily restored if the bacterial infection is thoroughly eliminated with thorough cleaning.

The second level of gum disease is more severe and is known as periodontitis. Periodontitis is an infection of the gums and the supporting bone and causes the gums and ligaments to detach from the teeth and the supporting bone to be lost.

As periodontitis progresses, the gums detach further and pockets develop under the gum line between the gums and the teeth. The plaque continues to accumulate under the gum line and hardens into calculus (also known as tartar). The calculus irritates the gums into further detachment and gives greater surface area for more bacteria to accumulate. As this accumulation continues, the inflammation, gum detachment and bone loss is accelerated.

Stages of periodontitis

Your gums naturally attach to your teeth about 2-3mm below the visible gum line. Gingivitis can exist under the gum line , but there will be no gum detachment from the tooth and no loss of ligament or supporting bone.

Periodontitis has started when the gums start to detach from the teeth, forming pockets, and the ligaments and bone have started to dissolve away. Periodontitis advances from mild to moderate to severe.

Our doctors use a small probe to measure the depth of gum pockets and can see the extent of bone loss in X-ray images.

Mild periodontitis

The gum pocket depth below the gum line is between 3mm and 4mm and there is some ligament and bone loss around the tooth.

Moderate periodontitis

Gum pocket depth is between 4mm and 7mm and the ligament and bone loss has advanced.

Severe periodontitis

Gum pocket depth is now 7mm or greater and the ligament and bone loss is extensive. Tooth roots are only 10 to 12 mm deep and when the pocket depth is advanced well beyond 7mm the tooth is in severe danger. Teeth can become loose at this point and may have to be extracted.