Healthy teeth are every person’s dream. Therefore, it is very important to know the possible pathologies of the oral cavity and how to avoid and treat them. In the article, we consider a disease such as periodontitis of the tooth. What is it, what are the preventive measures and treatment methods, you will learn by reading it.
What is periodontitis?
Periodontitis is a common complication of caries. The disease is mainly affected by children of all ages. About a third of young patients are diagnosed with periodontitis. But in addition to caries, there are other causes of this disease.
Periodontitis is a process of inflammation of periodontal tissue. It is from here that the name of the disease went. Periodontium - the area between the root of the tooth and the jaw. This site develops in children during the entire process of tooth growth. Periodontium is constantly changing until permanent teeth are formed. Periodontitis of deciduous teeth, of course, is treated. Next, we will consider in more detail the process of treatment of this disease, as well as methods of prevention. In addition, it should be noted that not only temporary teeth are affected by this disease. But periodontitis of permanent teeth is a little less common.
Differences between pulpitis and periodontitis
Very often, patients confuse pulpitis and periodontitis of the tooth. What is it and what is the difference, the attending physician can explain. But it’s not always possible to question him, so it’s better to know at least approximately how these diseases differ.
So, pulpitis is an inflammation of the pulp of the tooth. It occurs due to the fact that an infection from the tooth cavity penetrates the pulp and thus inflammation develops. It passes directly inside the tooth itself and no tissue, such as periodontal, does not hurt.
Periodontitis is the next stage of pulpitis. When periodontitis begins to develop, the pulp, as a rule, has already died and the infection has spread to tissues that are located below the tooth root (periodontium).
So, we briefly examined the periodontitis of the tooth. What is it and how does it differ from pulpitis, we hope you understand.
Reasons for the development of periodontitis
A number of factors influence the occurrence of periodontitis:
- Neglected caries is the main cause of periodontitis. Scheduled examinations at the dentist allow you to identify and cure tooth decay in time and thus prevent the development of periodontitis.
- Incorrect treatment of caries, pulpitis. Sometimes the dentist does not notice the possible development of pulpitis and treats tooth decay in the usual way. Undetected pulpitis continues to develop and increases the risk of periodontal inflammation.
- Incorrect selection of devitalizing pulp medical devices. If little mummifying agents were used in the treatment of pulpitis, then the pulp continues to become inflamed and periodontitis of deciduous teeth may develop.
- The situation is the opposite of the one described above. If there are a lot of mummifying medicines or they are in the tooth longer than the prescribed time, periodontitis of temporary teeth may develop.
- Damage to periodontal tissue by chemical exposure to the means of sterilizing dental canals.
- Sensitivity or individual intolerance to some medications. Usually they are inserted into the lumen of the root canal during the treatment of caries and do not have any effect on periodontium. But if the child is allergic, these drugs can cause periodontitis of the tooth root. Treatment is required immediately, since the allergen continues to act, and it is necessary to get rid of it.
- Various injuries in the treatment of caries, aggressive dental actions.
- A broken bite, an established filling without alignment of the tooth surface can lead to microtrauma of the periodontal tissue and provoke periodontitis of the tooth. Children with the wrong bite must be shown to the orthodontist and make sure that they do not have bad habits, for example, nibble handles.
- Directly injured teeth (bruises, fractures of the tooth root). Such serious violations can occur during a fall, with a strong blow to the face, a car accident, etc.
So, we briefly examined a disease such as periodontitis of the tooth. What is it, what are the causes of the occurrence, you now know. Next, consider the classification of this disease.
Types of periodontitis
Periodontitis is divided according to the following criteria:
- Localization.
- Leaking.
- Type of teeth.
By localization it happens:
- Edge - periodontal tissue that affects the neck of the tooth is affected. Infection in this case can spread through inflamed gums.
- Apical - covers that part of the periodontium that contacts the apex of the tooth root. In this case, the infection comes from damaged tooth pulp.
According to the course of periodontitis is divided into:
- Acute - has pronounced symptoms, but an x-ray of the tooth shows only small changes. Acute periodontitis is serous (simple inflammation) and purulent (inflammation, which is accompanied by tissue destruction).
- Chronic - can develop against the background of an acute form or after chronic pulpitis. As a rule, the symptoms are similar to those that occur with deep caries, therefore, do not rush to the dentist. This is what becomes the main reason for the development of advanced forms of the disease.
By the type of teeth it happens:
- On temporary teeth.
- On permanent teeth.
Symptoms of the acute form of the disease
The main symptoms of acute periodontitis:
- Constant, unbearable pain that intensifies. If you press on the tooth, knock on it, then the pain sensation intensifies. This localization of pain allows you to accurately determine a bad tooth.
- Around the diseased tooth the gum swells. In children, body temperature may increase slightly, they become lethargic, nausea and vomiting are observed.
- Lymph nodes are enlarged, their pain during palpation increases.
Symptoms of chronic periodontitis
Chronic periodontitis can also be detected by some symptoms, although it is much more complicated than in the case of the acute form of the disease:
- Without exacerbation, the chronic form of the disease has almost no symptoms. An unstable, aching pain is observed. As a rule, it manifests itself at night, with a load on a bad tooth or when eating food with a pronounced taste (sour, sweet). During the examination, tapping on the tooth occurs without pain, the gums are not inflamed. Lymph nodes can be inflamed.
- Chronic long periodontitis is accompanied by bouts of exacerbation. During this period, complaints and symptoms are similar to the acute form of the disease.
- General weakness, increased fatigue, or drowsiness is possible.
Diagnosis of the disease
Diagnosing acute periodontitis is quite easy. On examination, a diseased tooth responds with pain when tapped on it. External signs also indicate the presence of the disease: a significant increase in lymph nodes, inflammation and swelling of the gums around the diseased tooth.
Chronic periodontitis is difficult to detect with a routine dental checkup. In this case, an x-ray is required.
Milk tooth periodontitis: treatment
So, we examined the types of periodontitis and its symptoms. Next, we will dwell on the treatment of this disease. The process of eliminating periodontitis depends on the type of teeth (milk or permanent). Treatment of periodontitis of temporary teeth should be carried out, given the type, severity of the disease.
For proper and complex therapy, the use of general anesthesia is sometimes necessary. Only this method of anesthesia will provide free access to the tooth in order to conduct treatment in full.
The method of anesthesia is selected individually for each child. It is necessary to take into account his age, possible concomitant diseases, parental wishes, as well as how much the child is mentally prepared for treatment.
Dentists, as a rule, try to avoid extraction of deciduous teeth during treatment. Since this can cause various complications: malocclusion, molar growth outside the jaw arch, resorption of the anlage of the molar, and much more. That is why the removal of a milk tooth must be approached with particular responsibility.
There are several indications for removal:
- Resorption of the root of the temporary tooth is more than half.
- High risk of complications.
- Previous failed standard treatment attempts.
- The mobility of a diseased tooth.
- About half a year is left before the appearance of permanent teeth.
Treatment of periodontitis of permanent teeth
To begin a quality treatment of periodontitis on permanent teeth, the dentist must evaluate how mature the tooth is. On multi-rooted teeth, it is necessary to consider each root separately.
Treatment of chronic periodontitis on the teeth can be limited to one visit to the doctor or drag on for several. One visit is enough for single-rooted teeth. Multi-root ones require a second visit to the doctor.
In the treatment of periodontitis of temporary and permanent teeth, it is necessary to prepare the cavity and arch of the pulp chamber. Then, the affected periodontal tissues should be carefully removed from the root canals. After cleaning, it is necessary to fill the tooth. If a repeated visit to the dentist is required, then instead of a filling, preparations (antibiotics, enzymes) are put into the tooth. After a while they get out, finish the treatment and put a permanent seal.
In acute periodontitis, antibiotics must be taken orally for three to five days. In the chronic form of the disease, the dentist decides on the question of taking antibiotics individually for each client.
Forecast
When forecasting, the timeliness of treatment plays a very important role. If it is done on time, then the likelihood of saving a tooth is high enough. If the inflammation has not affected the bone tissue, then the prognosis is favorable.
Disease prevention
First of all, to prevent the occurrence of periodontitis, it is necessary to undergo a scheduled examination by the dentist every year. Identified caries should be treated immediately to avoid complications.
Parents must definitely fight the bad habits of children (nibble pens, pencils). This will help avoid microtrauma in the oral cavity and prevent the development of periodontitis.