Periodontal Gum Disease in Birmingham, AL
Periodontal Gum Disease Symptoms & Signs
Dr. Maddux Discusses Commons Symptoms Associated With Periodontal Gum Disease
Periodontal Gum Disease
Periodontitis, also called gum disease, is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue and, without treatment, can destroy the bone that supports your teeth. Periodontitis can cause teeth to loosen or lead to tooth loss.
Periodontitis is common but largely preventable. It’s usually the result of poor oral hygiene. Brushing at least twice a day, flossing daily and getting regular dental checkups can greatly improve your chances of successful treatment for periodontitis and can also reduce your chance of developing it.
Dr. Maddux Discusses Commons Symptoms Associated With Periodontal Gum Disease
Gum Disease Symptoms Symptoms
Gum disease is often silent, meaning symptoms may not appear until an advanced stage of the disease.
Millions of people don’t know they have this serious infection that can lead to tooth loss if not treated.
However, warning signs of gum disease include the following:
- Red, swollen or tender gums or other pain in your mouth
- Bleeding while brushing, flossing, or eating hard food
- Gums that are receding or pulling away from the teeth, causing the teeth to look longer than before
- Loose or separating teeth
- Pus between your gums and teeth
- Sores in your mouth
- Persistent bad breath
- A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
- A change in the fit of partial dentures
- Painful chewing
- Loose teeth
- Tooth pain
- Gum pain
- Tooth sensitivity
- TMJ symptoms
- Changes to your bite
After the infection and inflammation spreads deeper in your gums, it will begin affecting other structures supporting your teeth. If ligaments get destroyed, your teeth may begin to feel more loose. Bone structure can also be harmed as periodontal disease literally eats away at your sockets. When this happens, teeth can fall out because of a lack of support keeping them in place.
Periodontitis Symptoms
Not treating or diagnosing gingivitis will lead to it getting worse. After some time, you may experience gum recession as your gums begin to surrender to the bacteria. It is possible at this stage to see bleeding and swelling in the gums. Bad breath can be noticeable, and you could have a bad taste in your mouth. By now your symptoms may include:
TMJ Symptoms
Changes to your bite can also affect your jaw joints or temporomandibular joints. This can cause symptoms of TMJ disorder (TMD), a condition that can lead to jaw pain which can radiate out to create painful and persistent headaches or even neck and shoulder pain.
Periodontal Abscess
A tooth abscess, or periodontal abscess can be caused by gum disease bacteria in the periodontal, or gum pockets around your teeth. This causes the gum to swell around the affected tooth, and it is likely to be painful. A periodontal abscess is very destructive, eating away at the ligaments and bone surrounding the tooth, ultimately resulting in the loss of the tooth.
Wisdom Tooth Infections
Gum disease symptoms can also develop around partially erupted wisdom teeth, where there is insufficient room for the tooth to fully erupt in the mouth. Partially erupted wisdom teeth can often have a flap of gum tissue that is still over part of the tooth, and which is very difficult to keep clean and free from food particles and bacteria. It is often quite difficult to keep wisdom teeth thoroughly clean as they are situated so far back in the mouth. As a result, the gum tissue around the tooth can become infected. While it is sometimes possible to treat the infection, it can reoccur, and ultimately wisdom tooth extraction might be the best way to permanently clear up the gum infection.