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Here are some questions we
are asked and our answers:
My husband has periodontal
disease and has not had it treated. Will it cause him to have a
heart attack?
This question cannot be
answered very specifically because both cardiovascular disease and
periodontal disease are both very complex--in their etiology (specific
causes) and their pathological mechanisms, but they certainly are
statistically associated.
Research has shown that some components of periodontal inflammation, such
as C-reactive protein levels, can contribute to the loosening of plaques
in the vessels and cause strokes and heart attacks.
Remember that all of us have had some gingivitis and most of us have some
plaques in our blood vessels, but only some of us will die of
cardiovascular disease. How is your husband dealing with other
factors that are known to contribute to cardiovascular health like stress,
exercise, weight and cholesterol? It could be that he is ignoring a
number of factors. Here is a web site that might help you: http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.heart.htm
My son is in braces and lately
his gums have become swollen and have grown very large. It looks bad
and the orthodontist says he may have to stop treatment. What can we
do?
It is not uncommon for youngsters to have gingival problems during
orthodontics. The wires and brackets make oral hygiene difficult,
and kids are hard enough to motivate anyway. In adults irritation
from gingivitis is likely to cause gums to recede, but in rapidly growing
children it often causes gums to grow, sometimes up to and over the wires
making it impossible to continue treatment. Furthermore, the same
oral bacteria sometimes cause multiple areas of tooth decay.
Obviously your son needs to brush better, or he will have crooked teeth,
overgrown gums and decayed teeth. We can usually help, with
treatment and motivation. In addition, kids are rapidly
changing--that is what makes them fun to treat! What doesn't
motivate him today, probably will in the near future. Click here to
see some gingival changes that we can do to remove some of the overgrown
gingiva.
My parents both lost their
teeth due to pyorrhea. Does that mean that it is genetic and I will
loose mine too?
It is a really
difficult question to answer based on family history alone. That is
because not long ago most people lost their teeth to periodontitis because
dentists did not understand exactly what caused it. Some dentists
were so certain that dentures were inevitable that they actually thought
they were doing their patients a favor by not trying too hard to keep
their teeth. In addition, there is an old saying in dentistry that
"Everyone can get periodontal disease, and everyone can prevent
it," and that remains true in almost every case.
So the answer to your question is complicated by how much care your
parents took of their teeth, what the state of knowledge was when they
lost them, and what the treatment objectives their dentist had in
mind.
One family history question that is quite accurate at predicting
periodontitis liability (the likelihood of you having periodontitis) is:
Have you or either of your parents had emphysema (also called chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD)? Dr. Malena researched this at
the Medical University of South Carolina in the mid 1970's. In many
cases this disease appears in families with genes for decreased
alpha-1-antiprotease in the serum, which also cases patients to loose
significantly more bone if they acquire periodontitis. Other genes also
cause this problem. If you have periodontitis and this family
history, the deficiency in antiprotease can be resolved with cheap and
effective medication and you probably can keep your teeth.
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to find what you are looking for. If you have questions, feel free to
contact us.
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