Several misunderstandings about periodontitis

Although the popularization of knowledge about periodontitis has made some progress in recent years, there are still many people who have misunderstandings about periodontitis, so people's attitudes are often polarized - either fear or indifference. Today we will review several common misunderstandings about periodontitis.

1Periodontitis is just an inflammation, nothing serious

It is true that periodontitis is an inflammatory disease, but because the cause of the inflammation - periodontal pathogens often persist (which are difficult to completely eliminate and effectively control), the inflammation also tends to persist, so its damage to periodontal tissues is more far-reaching.

The local impact may cause teeth to loosen or even fall out, while the systemic impact is mainly reflected in the possibility of promoting and aggravating systemic diseases such as diabetes.

2Periodontitis is an infection, and it can be cured with antibiotics

It is true that periodontitis is an infectious disease, but this infection is different from general infections. Specifically, general infections are usually temporary and can be effectively controlled and eventually completely eliminated with antibiotics; but periodontitis infections are normalized and are related to the individual's oral microecological conditions. The oral cavity itself is a natural bacterial reservoir, and any drug can only temporarily control microorganisms, but cannot completely change the fact that microorganisms exist for a long time. The goal of oral health care measures has always been to control the total amount and structure of microorganisms, and has never pursued such unrealistic fantasies as exterminating them. Therefore, in terms of periodontal treatment, there is currently no magic drug that can turn the tide.

3. If you see bleeding gums, you have periodontitis

Gingival bleeding, under the premise of excluding systemic diseases , can almost be used as the gold standard for diagnosing "gingivitis". But gingivitis, as a symptom, only represents an inflammatory reaction in the gingival tissue. It may appear in simple "gingivitis" or in "periodontitis". The difference between gingivitis and periodontitis is that the former only affects the gingival tissue, while the latter not only affects the gingival tissue, but also affects the periodontal membrane, alveolar bone and other tissues. So although the two are only one word apart, their natures are very different.

4Gingivitis will develop into periodontitis sooner or later

Broadly speaking, periodontitis includes gingivitis and narrowly speaking periodontitis (i.e., inflammation of the gums, periodontal membrane, alveolar bone, etc.). Narrowly speaking periodontitis can indeed develop from gingivitis. But this does not mean that all gingivitis will eventually develop into narrowly speaking periodontitis. Therefore, if you encounter gingivitis, you don’t need to worry too much, just do regular checkups.

The above are some common misunderstandings about periodontitis. If you have any other questions, please leave a comment in the comment section!