What is Periodontal disease?

In order to understand gum disease, you must first understand the way the teeth and supporting structures are built. The part of the tooth you can see in your mouth is called the crown of the tooth. It is held in the mouth by the root which is embedded in your jaw bone. It is attached to the bone by way of a thin "stocking" called the periodontal ligament. The bone is, of course covered by the gums which are called the gingiva. The gingiva attach to the teeth slightly below the highest level they reach on the tooth.

The topmost part of the gingiva is called the gingival crest, and the inside of the little pocket between the gingival crest and the bottom of the pocket is called the gingival sulcus. All the bony and soft tissue that supports the tooth is called the periodontium and when this organ becomes sick, we say the patient has Periodontal disease. As the gums swell, they detach from the tooth and form a space, or "pocket," between the tooth and gum. Bacteria can grow rapidly in the pockets, and that is how it all starts!!

If your hands bled when you washed them,would be concerned? Yet, many people think it is normal if their gums bleed when they brush or floss. Seventy-five to eighty percent of Americans have some form of periodontal disease!!

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Allentown & Dublin Dental Centers, PC
Periodontal Treatment and Implant Dentistry	610-797-2420 AND 215-249-0520