Patient info
Unlike what is commonly believed, the main cause of tooth loss is not decay, but rather PERIODONTAL DISEASE. Periodontal disease is often known by the incorrect name of “pyorrhoea.” This disease affects the tissues surrounding teeth: the gums, the tooth supporting bone and the ligaments that secure teeth to the bone. It is a very common pathology that affects, at various levels of gravity, around three quarters of the adult population. If gingivitis is left untreated, it can advance to PERIODONTITIS. In the initial stages, periodontitis begins to destroy the bone and the tissues that surround and support the teeth. The periodontal disease first affects the gingiva around the teeth: this is the still reversible stage of GINGIVITIS. So-called PERIODONTAL POCKETS are formed into which plaque is deposited. This plaque calcifies and becomes tartar. Tartar sticks firmly to the tooth roots and alters their surface, so that the patient is no longer able to remove it via oral hygiene procedures such brushing and flossing. The presence of plaque and tartar under the gum line is responsible for the advancement of the disease, which, if not treated, can cause the loss of a tooth that, in term of its structure, may be perfectly healthy.