If you don't know much about the gum disease, (Periodontitis) don't feel bad. A recent poll showed that 60% of adults know little about gum disease, its symptoms, causes, treatments and consequences.
Periodontitis (inflammation around the tooth) is sometimes confused with Gingivitis, the top dental problem for people over 18. Gingivitis acts as an early warning signal that you could be heading for the serious dental health problem - Periodontitis. This more severe form of gum disease is usually connected with loss of teeth.
Periodontitis is like Gingivitis on steroids. While Gingivitis is about irritation, Periodontitis is about separation - your teeth from your gums and eventually, you from your teeth. 
Most of the time, Periodontitis is caused by poor oral hygiene. Teeth and gums need to be kept clean. And normally this disease creeps on you, beginning as reversible Gingivitis and progressing to irreversible Periodontitis.
While heredity and other medical factors can influence the development of Periodontitis, the major cause is poor oral hygiene. Food trapped under the gums combines with bacteria to create plaque, a "toxic stew" that irritates the gums and makes them bleed. This colorless film of sticky material containing food particles, bacteria, and saliva attaches itself to the tooth above and below the gum line encouraging Periodontitis and tooth decay.
Then plaque, the "toxic stew," hardens into tartar (calculus) in just 24 hours. Each day this "contaminated crust" grows. That's why you need to remove plaque every day no matter what to avoid Periodontitis. Only a dental professional can remove tartar. 
Untreated, Gingivitis leads to Periodontitis. Gingivitis can mean minor blood loss; Periodontitis on the other hand can mean major tooth loss.
Evidence is mounting of potential links between Periodontitis and more serious health concerns. Healthy immune systems normally fight off the bacteria developing in the mouth. When this protection is compromised in any way, the added bacteria in the bloodstream appear to increase the risk of stroke or heart disease.
There also seems to be a connection between Periodontitis and Preeclampsia, a condition of hypertension occurring in pregnancy, typically indicated by fluid retention and high blood pressure.
Visit your dentist twice a year. During the exam, your gums will be assessed for Periodontitis - bleeding, swelling, and tooth firmness. In addition, your dental professional will check plaque and tartar build-up above and below the gum line.
Preventing Periodontitis is easy â€" treating it is not. It's a brush now or brush later proposition. Periodontitis is manageable with professional treatment and regular oral care at home. Various treatment options are available depending on the severity of Periodontitis:
Managing Periodontitis is all about daily plaque control â€" essentially sound oral hygiene. That means, in most cases, stopping the plaque in your mouth is really in your own hands. Brush every day. Floss every day. Period. Your dentist or oral hygienist may recommend fluoride toothpaste or tartar reduction rinses. Colgate Total® is approved by the FDA for helping to prevent periodontitis by reducing plaque and tartar.
Dental professionals recommend oral irrigation as a great way to really clean teeth and gums. Oral irrigators get what tooth brushes and floss don't, so plaque and tartar and the resulting Periodontitis never come back.
Oral irrigators flood the mouth with a jet of water under pressure to flush offending food particles and bacteria from the mouth. And now there's fresh evidence that Periodontitis responds well to oral irrigators.
Flossing could work. But, most people just don't floss enough. Only 35% floss and only 2-15% floss every day. Flossing is too much trouble, too unpleasant. 1000's of OralBreeze customers love their OralBreeze oral irrigator. They brush away food and then breeze away plaque. It feels so good to breeze. Brush n' breeze daily to treat Periodontitis. Every day, brush after meals and breeze before bed.
