Periodontal disease is also called gum disease; begin with bacterial growth in your mouth. In this post, Dr. Qureshi explains several causes and their treatment to reduce the risk of periodontal disease. http://healthysmileslagrange.com/what-causes-periodontal-disease/

1. What Causes
Periodontal Disease?

2. Periodontal disease is a common dental disorder that
most people are unaware that they have. When
patients are first diagnosed with it, they often ask Dr.
Qureshi at Healthy Smiles of La Grange “What
causes periodontal disease?” This disease often starts
with plaque, a sticky substance composed mainly of
bacteria. Although brushing and flossing helps to
remove plaque, it can be hard to keep it off your
teeth. That is because plaque re-forms within 24
hours of you removing it. One way to reduce the risk
of developing plaque is to avoid foods with a high
sugar content.

3. When your teeth get heavily coated with plaque, it
eventually causes tartar. This is a hard substance
that can be difficult to remove from the teeth with
normal brushing and flossing. Eventually, plaque
and tartar eat away at your gums and teeth and
cause gum pockets to form. This becomes a vicious
cycle because gum pockets attract even more
plaque, tartar, and bacteria. When you don’t get
treatment for periodontal disease, it can threaten the
health and stability of your teeth. You may even
lose one or more teeth to the disease.

4. Besides poor oral hygiene habits, the following risk
factors increase the likelihood of developing
periodontal disease:
 Diabetes
 Advanced age
 Use of tobacco and illegal drugs
 Dental restorations that don’t fit properly
 Improper bite
 Hereditary factors
 Poor nutrition
 Decreased immunity

5. Once periodontal disease has developed, it’s
important to treat it as quickly as possible. Dr.
Qureshi may advise you to undergo root planing
and scaling, a process also known as deep
cleaning. This removes bacteria and decreases
the size of gum pockets. You normally come to
Smiles of La Grange for at least two separate
deep cleaning appointments.

6.  Afterwards, it’s important to eliminate the risk
factors you can control and commit to brushing and
flossing your teeth at least twice daily. Dr. Qureshi
only recommends dental surgery to remove gum
pockets when deep cleaning and home care fails to
bring lasting relief of periodontal disease.
 If you’re concerned about the possibility of
periodontal disease, please contact our clinic at any
time. You don’t have to wait until your next
scheduled exam to ask questions or request
additional cleaning by our staff.

7. http://healthysmileslagrange.com/