Dentalnews (en)

Recession of the gums is a very common disease of our time.
Is it periodontosis, periodontitis, or even gingivitis? What is the right treatment?

Periodontitis: gums recede due to an inflammation in the periodontal apparatus. The correct term for this type of inflammation is periodontitis. The right type of treatment is periodontitis therapy! Simple cleaning is not a form of treatment!

The periodontal apparatus consists of the tooth root, the periodontal membrane (desmodont), the bone and gums.

If only the gums are inflamed, this is called gingivitis.

Periodontosis is a term falsely used to designate an inflammation of the periodontal apparatus. Due to earlier limitations in technology, it was impossible to isolate bacteria in gum pockets – so it was assumed that there was no inflammation and the disease was given the ending -osis. Periodont means periodontal apparatus, so  periodontosis means a recessaion of the periodontal apparatus.

Now we know that this is due to an inflammation caused by bacteria, so it is an -itis.

If your dentist talks about periodontosis, then s/he does not know about the illness or the right type of therapy!

More information on this topic here!

Treating parodontitis, gingivitis and periimplantitis

Just about every other person over 35 suffers from parodontitis, also known as parodontosis.

It all begins almost without you noticing it and without pain, bleeding gums, and sometimes occasional flare-ups of pocket abscesses. But bone disappears imperceptibly, leading to tooth loss. Plaque bacteria are what causes parodontitis and cavities, but most people refrain from getting treatment until their teeth start getting loose!

If started early, parodontal treatment can stop inflammation of the periodontal apparatus. Unfortunately, many different types of treatment are “advertised”, such as cryotherapy or phototoxic therapy. None of these types of treatment have ever been scientifically proven to work, but they are still offered at very high rates.

A short film at checkdent.com will show you how proper parodontal treatment works – click here for link.

Aphthous ulcers or canker sores, those painful little things in the mouth – what helps best?

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Anyone who has ever had a small lesion of this kind in the mouth knows how unpleasant aphthea can be. Eating and drinking is severely limited and dental hygiene tends to be neglected.
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Chronic recurring apthe (CRA) is the medical term used,  women generally tend to be affected more often. There are three different types commonly mentioned: minoraphthe, majoraphthe and herpetiform ulcers. This distinction is made based on appearance and location!

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Minoraphthe are the most common: round or oval, flat ulcers of less than 5mm diameter. These usually appear on the flexible part of the gums or mucuous membrane and heal after one or two weeks, without leaving a scar.

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Majoraphthe are less common, and appear on the gums, lips and palatal arches. They usually take several weeks to heal (up to 6 weeks) and can leave scars.
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Herpetiform aphthe are characterized by many hundreds of small lesions, which can appear anywhere in the mouth.
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What causes aphthe?
Aphthe is associated with many different kinds of illnesses, e.g.

• Morbus Behcet
• Sweet Syndrome
• familial neutropeny
• HIV infection
• …

But even healthy persons can develop aphthe, the exact causes are unknown. Various factors such as iron deficiency, vitamin deficiency, glutamate intolerance, food allergies,infections or genetic predisposition have been suggested. Healthy persons often get aphthe after eating nuts, pistachios and/or citrus fruits.
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What can I do against aphthe?
As the exact causes are unknown, only the symptoms of aphthe can be treated:

• Washing out the mouth with astringent solutions such as sage tea
• local cortico-steroids (Volon A ointment)
• Softlaser
• Chlorhexidine mouthwash
• topical analgesics as lozenges

If aphthe seem to appear after eating certain foods, simply refrain from eating those foods!

I have already had a check-up by a dentist, do I still need to get my teeth professionally cleaned?

Yes, you should still get your teeth cleaned!

Two pairs of eyes are better than one, and it is easier to recognize defects in a clean set of teeth than in teeth covered in plaque.

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How much does it cost to get my teeth professionally cleaned?

The costs can range from 40€ to 120€.

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This not only involves removing plaque, each tooth is examined individually and varnished – which prevents plaque build-up.

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An oral hygienist or prophylactics assistant takes a very good look at your teeth, and sees even more than a dentist, all the more when teeth are thickly covered in plaque.

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Check-ups twice a year and professional cleaning – also known as oral hygiene sessions – ensure the health of your teeth!

Do you want to find out more about this topic?

Visit a dental forum!

Many doctors still wrongly advise against using an oral irrigator!

Whether you use an oral irrigator made by Braun, Panasonic,  Waterpik, or any other manufacturer – regular use keeps your mouth healthy!

Doctors who are not very knowledgeable about micro-biology argue that an oral irrigator washes bacteria deeper into the gum pockets. While this may sound obvious, this is actually false. First of all, bacteria can move: they have cilia, flagella which help them move around pretty quick! Second,  bacteria are not dangerous in and of themselves!

Parodontitis and also cavities are actually caused by plaque.  Plaque is organized like a little city, there are bacteria which specialize in adhering to the teeth. Other bacteria gnaw at the teeth while others are mainly responsible for transporting nutrients. Mature plaque is organized like an ant heap.

It takes mature plaque 24 hours to form, after which you run the risk of developing parodontitis and/or cavities. The longer you wait before removing the plaque, the harder it gets to remove.

You should make it a habit to remove plaque at least every 24 hours,but using a toothbrush you can only do that above the gums, while the oral irrigator also reaches the areas just below the gums – in the sulcus, and also between the teeth.

Used once a day in combination with regular brushing, the oral irrigator helps to keep your mouth healthy! Do not be afraid if your gums start to bleed a little and hurt at the beginning, this will stop eventually, just keep cleaning!