Each person sooner or later, but faced with a toothache and knows firsthand how painful these sensations can be. And one of the most insidious dental diseases is periodontitis, which many people know about. Some time ago, during its diagnosis, the affected tooth was simply removed. At present, thanks to modern advances in medicine in almost any field, periodontitis is treated not only surgically, but also therapeutically.
Directly under the term periodontitis should be understood the inflammatory process of the connective tissue (periodontium), which is located between the jaw bones, gums and the teeth themselves. This dental disease is considered the most severe and dangerous. Often its cause is deep caries of one or more teeth. Then the infection spreadsthrough holes in their roots. However, it is not enough to have an idea about this dental pathology, you need to know the symptoms of its manifestation.
Important symptoms
Like almost any disease, periodontitis has its own symptoms. Although some diseases do not have bright signs and proceed secretly. As for the treatment and symptoms of periodontitis, here is the place to be:
- Pain in a sharp form that occurs spontaneously. They can be knocking, sometimes pulsating. Moreover, their localization depends on the site of infection or injury. As a rule, the pain syndrome extends only to one or two teeth, nothing more. Under the influence of heat, it intensifies, it is possible to reduce it with the help of cold.
- Often, patients have a false sensation of an increase in the tooth, which is due to the pressure of exudate and pus on it.
- You can also detect swelling of the mucous membrane in the area of inflammation and infiltration.
- Accumulation of pus near the affected tooth root can lead to facial asymmetry towards inflammation.
- As a rule, the development of periodontitis is accompanied by headaches, which after a while become unbearable.
- Body temperature can rise to forty degrees with fever and delirium.
In addition, before proceeding to the treatment of periodontitis of the tooth, you need to remember about additional symptoms in the face of incessant bleeding of the gums, which, however, is not associated with injuries or dietary habits. In addition, painappear in the tooth not only during the meal, but also during the hygiene procedure.
It is worth mentioning the constant companion of periodontitis - bad breath. Pain sensations appear not only under the influence of high temperature, but also low.
Two main types of periodontitis
In dentistry, there are two main types of this disease:
- spicy;
- chronic.
Among the main symptoms of the manifestation of the acute form of the disease are the following. This is swelling of the gum tissue at the site of the lesion, the appearance of pain when pressed and an increase in body temperature. If you ignore the disease, it goes into a chronic stage.
When treating acute periodontitis, it should be borne in mind that it can occur in one of two stages:
- serous - pain occurs periodically, but the tooth itself is motionless;
- purulent - increased pain, pus comes out of the gums, which ultimately leads to loosening of the tooth.
As for chronic periodontitis, it also has several types.
- Fibrous - the most inconspicuous course of the disease, which may be accompanied by mild pain or not give itself away at all. An accurate diagnosis can only be made with an x-ray.
- Granulating - this case is the most frequent, in which constant pain is felt, the gums swell and a channel forms in it, from where pus comes out.
- Granulomatous - periodontitis of this kindconsidered the most dangerous. Inflamed tissues eventually transform into granulomas. These are some kind of pouches filled with pus.
Which treatment is required depends on the type of disease.
Diagnosis of dental disease
Despite the fact that there are symptoms of acute or chronic periodontitis, treatment is carried out only after an accurate diagnosis has been established in order to avoid medical error.
This is why there are diagnostics, which can be different/
- Electroodontometry (or EOD). Refers to a diagnostic technique in which the excitability threshold of the nerve of the tooth is studied. The lower it is, the stronger the infection develops or the nerve dies. In this case, the values \u200b\u200bcan be as follows: normally 6-8 μA, but no more; indicators of 25-95 μA indicate pulpitis; 100 µA is already the death of a nerve. In the acute form of periodontitis - 180-200 μA, while in a chronic disease within 100-160 μA.
- X-ray. It is the main method for diagnosing periodontitis, which allows you to identify the presence of the disease, even in the absence of complaints from the patient. This can detect changes that are not visible during the initial examination.
- Complete blood count. It is usually prescribed in cases where the tooth has already been treated, but this was done in the wrong way. As a result, the infection deepened not only to the root, but also touched the periosteum.
With the help of these techniques, the dentist can confidently delivercorrect diagnosis. In addition, the specialist will be able to understand the causes and choose the right treatment for chronic periodontitis or any other.
Main stages in treatment
To get rid of a common dental disease, different methods are used. Nevertheless, they have something in common. That is, all efforts are reduced to the elimination of inflammation and the healing of affected tissues. And it is worth noting that this takes a considerable amount of time.
All treatment can conditionally be divided into several stages, regardless of the chosen method.
- Affected tissues are removed. Which method to use for this depends on the degree of their damage and the severity of the disease itself. In any case, it is necessary to carry out a thorough treatment and sanitation of the root canals with appropriate instruments using medical antiseptics.
- In the tooth and gum tissues, the inflammatory process is eliminated, which is done through antibiotic drugs with anti-inflammatory action. Over the next few days, during the treatment of periodontitis canals, after the sanitation procedure and cleaning of the canals, the patient is en titled to some additional measures. These include physiotherapy, mouthwash, taking a number of medications. Thanks to this, the tissues heal, the pathogenic microflora is inhibited and the inflammatory abscess is eliminated.
- Afterward, the affected tooth is already being filled. And depending on the severity of the disease, auxiliaryfacilities. These are metal or gutta-percha pins, which are widely used in dentistry, hardening pastes and much more.
- The last stage is rather the final stage of treatment in the form of prevention. This will help to avoid exacerbation of the disease in the future. As a rule, these are systematic visits to the dentist, proper oral hygiene, including the use of antiseptic rinses.
How exactly is periodontitis treated in children and adults? This will be discussed further.
Medication use
In most cases, periodontitis is treated with drug therapy. In fact, treatment with medication refers to conservative therapy. In this case, it can be carried out in conjunction with physiotherapy. The same steps are involved here as discussed above. That is, the tooth is opened, the canal is sanitized, and then it is closed with a filling.
In most cases, drugs are used, represented by a group of antibiotics. Their reception is accompanied by a positive effect in the form of a decrease in the inflammatory process. Also, taking these medications helps prevent pus from entering the patient's circulatory system, which is fraught with many serious complications.
In addition, the treatment of pulpitis and periodontitis with antibiotics avoids the spread of pathogenic microflora to nearby tissues from the inflamed area. In addition, if you take them regularly, the focus of inflammation is eliminated,due to which the analgesic effect is achieved.
Often this type of treatment is used for recurrent periodontitis, which alternates between exacerbation and remission. In this case, we are talking about a chronic form of dental disease. Antibiotics help prevent a relapse.
Surgery
Surgical intervention is used in rare cases and is an extreme measure that is relevant for diseases in the advanced stage. In this case, the affected tissues are removed partially or completely. In addition, an opening is made of the cavity where purulent deposits have accumulated throughout the entire period of the disease.
Currently, all the efforts of modern methods of treatment of periodontitis are aimed at saving the tooth. That is, only those tissues that have been affected by infection are removed. In addition, surgery may be required in cases where periodontitis began to develop under the influence (short-term or long-term) of chemistry. In this case, it is necessary to remove not only the chemicals themselves, but also process the tissues in order to avoid the appearance of negative consequences.
Some time ago, the upcoming visit to the dentist inspired feelings of fear, but now the situation has changed for the better. But even if you have to extract a tooth if necessary, the whole procedure is painless, all thanks to effective anesthetics and modern surgical technologies.
Features of physiotherapy
Physiotherapy can be used in combination withconservative therapy, and be an independent procedure. But in this case, it is relevant only for the chronic form of dental disease.
Such treatment of caries, pulpitis, periodontitis helps to prevent the re-development of inflammation by eliminating pathogenic microflora, which leads to a decrease in the existing focus.
The most common physical therapy techniques are:
- laser therapy;
- electrophoresis.
Only these measures are highly discouraged in relation to the acute form of periodontitis. Otherwise, it threatens with complex complications.
Features of the treatment of acute periodontitis
Treatment of a disease that is still in its acute form requires at least three visits to a specialist. First of all, all actions of the dentist are aimed at opening and expanding the root canal. After that, it is necessary to clean it well, removing all affected tissues, and then it is treated with antiseptic agents.
During the treatment of periodontitis, the cavity in the tooth is not yet closed to allow the pus to freely come out. But a completely open cavity cannot be left either. In this case, it is covered with a special periodontal bandage. It is removed after a day or a little more, depending on the situation (no more than 3-5 days). The canal is then checked for any remaining pus, filled with the necessary drugs, and closed with a temporary filling. In some cases, magnetic or laser therapy may be prescribed at this stage of treatment to avoid recurrence.infection.
After two or three months, a follow-up examination is carried out and an x-ray is taken. And if the specialist has no concerns about the disease, the tooth is finally closed with a filling and its crown part is restored. This is usually done over one or two subsequent visits.
Treatment of the chronic form of the disease
However, for various reasons, periodontitis passes into the chronic stage, in this case, the treatment of periodontitis caries takes more time and effort. The fibrous form of the disease is treated in a similar way as the acute form, but with some differences. The root canal does not expand, and the power of the device is lower during laser therapy.
And if it is a granulomatous or granulomatous form of periodontitis, a temporary filling is placed for a period of 3 to 6 months. At the same time, during this entire period, it is necessary to regularly take x-rays and visit the dentist. To speed up and maximize the effectiveness of treatment, physiotherapy is additionally used in the form of electrophoresis, magnetic or ultra-high frequency therapy.
Due to the fact that the inflammatory process develops for a rather long time, the body's immunity weakens, as a result of which the treatment of a chronic disease can be delayed for more than six months. This is especially true for the elderly. At the same time, if immunomodulators and drugs that promote tissue regeneration are used correctly, the treatment of periodontitisgo faster.
However, if the specialist detects the neglect of periodontitis, the only correct decision will be made - to remove the affected tooth. This is due to the fact that due to severe tissue damage, there will be no effect from the treatment, and the disease will return after some time. For this reason, if a dentist advises to extract a tooth rather than treat it, his advice should not be neglected.
Treatment at home
Many people are reluctant to visit the dentist for preventive purposes in order to timely identify any disease, if any. This is largely due to the fear of pain, which can cause severe stress. And so they try to make do with home remedies.
Only here it is worth understanding one thing - periodontitis belongs to the group of infectious diseases, in a particular case, the focus is located precisely in the root canal. For this reason, it is simply not possible to treat any form of periodontitis at home.
Besides, this infection is practically insensitive to antibiotics. Such treatment of periodontitis of the tooth is only an auxiliary tool, and the main treatment is to remove the nerve in the canal with its subsequent filling. All you can do at home is to alleviate the symptoms with the help of traditional medicine.
Important good advice
And finally, some useful recommendations. And the most important of them is to seek the help of a specialist in a timely manner when the first sign of periodontitis appears. ATotherwise, it does not end well, complications may arise. The most serious of these is the appearance of fistulas.
A fistula is a channel in the gum through which purulent masses are drained. Such a pathology is accompanied not only by pain, but also violates the aesthetic appearance of the oral cavity.
In addition, due to ignoring the treatment of periodontitis, as well as during its improper use, another equally dangerous complication may occur - sepsis. It refers to blood poisoning, which is already known to everyone. This happens when pus enters the bloodstream or lymphatic vessels. And this is already quite a serious threat to the he alth and life of the patient.
