What is periodontitis?
Periodontitis, colloquially also called periodontosis, is an inflammatory disease of the tooth-supporting apparatus.
Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the tooth-supporting apparatus. It is often called 'periodontosis' in everyday speech – which is incorrect, since that older term described loss of tissue without inflammation.
How it develops
The cause is bacteria that gather between tooth and gum. If these deposits are not removed regularly, they harden into calculus and the inflammation reaches deeper.
If further strains are added – stress, smoking, a general illness – the reaction can turn acute: the gums are reddened, swollen and bleed easily.
The cycle that makes it dangerous
Because the inflammation makes brushing painful, that very area is brushed less. More bacteria gather, they travel deeper along the tooth, and the destruction advances. Breaking this cycle is the real aim of treatment.
The key points at a glance
- In periodontitis the inflammation spreads from the gum to the bone and the fibres that hold the tooth.
- Pockets form between tooth and gum in which bacteria are sheltered from the toothbrush.
- Smoking, diabetes, stress and a hereditary predisposition accelerate the course.
- Left untreated, teeth become loose and are lost – usually without prior pain.
Answered briefly
Frequently asked questions
The bacteria that trigger it can be transmitted, through saliva for example. Whether that turns into disease depends on the immune situation, oral hygiene and hereditary factors. Periodontitis is not contagious in the strict sense.
As a rule, no. That is its most dangerous property: the bone breaks down over years without pain to warn. It is often noticed only when teeth become loose or the gums visibly recede.
Partly. With certain defect shapes, regenerative procedures can rebuild bone and supporting tissue. Where the loss is horizontal across many teeth this is not possible; there the aim is to hold the situation stable.