Teeth Disease

"Fatal disease SWEEPS planet!" If you saw this as unforgettable in your local newspaper, would you be worried? Would you read the article to find the "What, Who, where and why" about this terrible fatal disease ? Or just run naked and screaming into the streets to warn all the neighbors?

Recent studies indicate that fewer than four out of five suffer some form of gum disease. While many were the first forms such as gingivitis, an infection of the gums relatively benign, nearly half have an insidious infection that is older brother, periodontitis, which also attacks the bone that forms the very basis your teeth. Gum disease, technically known as periodontal (around the tooth) disease, your teeth is very much at risk. Sufficiently advanced, he will come off, or even to fall completely. This disease, not tooth decay or dental caries, is responsible for sixty percent of adult tooth loss.

Ask anyone who has ever had it happen: loss of a tooth permanently impact your quality of life. For example, I had a patient who was literally terrified that if she is sneezing or coughing, her teeth would be propelled out of his mouth and fly across the room! Needless to say that consciousness affected his social activity. As you can imagine, our mouths are a key element of our presentation to the world - and they can certainly be difficult to hide! The ravages of this insidious bacterial infection that most affect your smile itself, but also your very self-image and self esteem.

However, it is not, perhaps, the most important part of history. Gum disease is linked to a number of potentially fatal diseases as stroke, heart attack, ulcers, diabetes, respiratory disease, low birth weight and adverse outcomes of pregnancy. Recent studies have shown that:

* There may be up to three times greater risk of stroke and heart attack for people with severe periodontal disease
* Oral bacteria has been found responsible for the fifty-five per cent of cases of infectious edema
* Pregnant women with periodontal disease are eight times more likely to have pre-term babies of low birth weight.

"Not me", I can almost hear you say. "I brush twice a day, floss regularly and go to the dentist and my teeth cleaned twice a year. My mouth is very good." Maybe, maybe not ... The most common periodontal disease has no obvious symptoms. And even when they occur, some symptoms, such as blood on your toothbrush, are still considered normal. However, contrary to what you have learned, or thought you learned, bleeding when brushing is certainly not correct.

To begin the delicate task of discovering whether or not you have gum disease, signs to look for here are seven in the mouth: