The 10 most important tips for dental care

Healthy gums are firm and do not bleed

Healthy teeth are covered with a fine root membrane that is fused to the bone in the tooth socket. The gums lie on top of this in a layer 1-2 mm thick. Healthy gums adhere to the cervical area of the tooth with many small suction cups. This prevents bacteria and plaque from penetrating between the gum and tooth to the jawbone.

Expert tip
Healthy gums are firm, pale pink, slightly stippled and do not bleed when touched or brushed. The "red aesthetic" is a very important factor for a radiantly beautiful smile.

Around one in four adults is affected

Increased plaque build-up or tartar formation can lead to inflammation of the gums. This is caused by bacteria in the dental plaque, which leads to increased blood flow and loosening of the gums. The gums swell and bleed when touched or when brushing teeth.
Gum inflammation can also be the result of hormonal interactions (e.g. pregnancy, the pill, etc.) or occur in conjunction with general illnesses (e.g. diabetes) or drug interactions (e.g. antihypertensive drugs, antiepileptic drugs, etc.).

Expert tip
Bleeding gums can usually be successfully treated by having your teeth professionally cleaned by a dentist. Thorough tooth brushing is the best way to prevent it (see ApaCare Dental health guide).

Bone loss is irreversible!

Genetically determined (hereditary predisposition) and risk factors acquired in the course of life, such as general diseases (e.g. diabetes, rheumatic diseases, autoimmune diseases, etc.), side effects of medication (see tip 2), lifestyle habits (e.g. smoking/alcohol, unhealthy diet (sugar, saturated fatty acids, etc.) or stress favour the development of oral flora that can cause disease. (e.g. smoking/alcohol), an unhealthy diet (sugar, saturated fatty acids ...) or stress favour the development of pathogenic oral flora and can lead to excessive immune (defence) reactions in the gums and periodontium.

The body then produces messenger substances in response to the (normal) bacterial infection, which lead to the breakdown of the periodontium and the bony tooth socket. As a result, bone and (often) gums can recede. This leads to exposed root surfaces, often with hypersensitivity, tooth migration and tooth loosening. In the final stage, the tooth socket on the jawbone is broken down and the teeth fall out.

Expert tip
Periodontitis is often the result of a hereditary predisposition and can be favoured by general illnesses or lifestyle habits, such as smoking, and above all stress.

Periodontitis (formerly periodontosis)

It used to be thought that "periodontitis" was an age-related bone loss in the sense of bone remodelling with advancing age. It was also thought that overloading the teeth could lead to bone loss. However, scientific findings have disproved this over the years. We now know that "periodontitis" is an inflammatory disease that is bacterial in origin but is caused by an immunological overreaction, as described above.

Expert tip
Once periodontitis - always periodontitis Anyone who suffers from periodontitis once is usually affected for life. The causes cannot be cured. However, modern dentistry can effectively stop the progression of the disease in most cases through recurring preventive treatments.

Exposed tooth necks are no cause for concern

Many people suffer from exposed tooth necks and hypersensitivity. These can also have other causes. For example, bone windows on the periodontium can occur during growth or the exposed root surfaces can be the result of extensive orthodontic root movements or incorrect tooth brushing technique (usually too much pressure from the toothbrush). (see ApaCare Guide to sensitive teeth)

Expert tip
Exposed tooth necks can often be left as they are. The affected teeth are generally not at risk of additional loss. In the case of visual impairments, these can be covered very successfully by microsurgical gum displacement or gum grafting.

Periodontitis comes in different forms and progressions!

Particularly critical are aggressive courses, which generally occur in patients at a younger age (under the age of 40) and are accompanied by rapid progression (degradation of the periodontium). Affected patients must be treated quickly and effectively. Tooth extractions are often necessary. In chronic forms (adult patients, usually older than 40 years of age), bone loss is less rapid and the prognosis is better. As a rule, the teeth can be preserved in the long term.

Expert tip
The earlier periodontitis is recognised and treated, the better the prognosis for long-term tooth preservation.

Early detection is the key to successful treatment

Warning signs such as bleeding gums, receding gums, bad breath (see "The 10 most important tips on bad breath") or tooth migration should be investigated at an early stage. The dentist can rule out periodontitis within a few seconds using a simple periodontal screening index. Pocket findings and X-ray examinations or special risk tests, including genetic diagnostics, are carried out on those affected to determine the causes and progression of the disease.

Expert tip
Modern dentistry allows for very targeted diagnostics. Precise knowledge of the individual risk factors is crucial for successful treatment.

Not afraid of periodontitis treatment?

The spectre of "surgery" or "scraping the root surfaces" is a thing of the past. Nowadays, there are very gentle and very successful treatment alternatives: Using thin probes vibrating in the sonic or ultrasonic range under intensive rinsing, affected root surfaces are carefully cleaned of deposits such as plaque, layers of bacteria or tartar. Fine cleaning of the pores on the root surface is carried out with gentle powder particles in an air/water spray, which is sprayed into the gum pockets. Pockets from a depth of 5 mm can then be coated with blue dye and painlessly disinfected with laser light (PACT® - photo-activated therapy). The latter often replaces the antibiotics that were used until recently and has no side effects. In the case of very deep pockets, regeneration-promoting gels can be applied into the pocket.

Expert tip
Modern periodontitis treatment is generally painless or painless with a gentle anaesthetic (dental injection). After-effects are extremely rare.

Healing over timeRegular

prevention often goes (far) beyond professional tooth cleaning

After successful initial periodontal treatment (see tip 8), the gums tighten and, in the best-case scenario, the gum pockets disappear and often reduce in size. However, bony regeneration usually does not occur. The basic tendency to periodontitis is also the same after treatment as before (see tip 3). In this respect, periodontitis is basically "incurable". The inflammation-free state and the associated standstill for further bone resorption only remains stable for a certain period of time, which varies from person to person. This must be determined individually in order to repeat the periodontitis therapy (as so-called supportive periodontal therapy, UPT) in a modified or analogue form at intervals as required.

Expert tip
Professional tooth cleaning at the dentist alone is often not enough to halt the progression of periodontal disease, as it does not affect the inflammatory reactions in the depths of the gum pockets. The first UPT usually takes place 6 - 8 weeks after the initial periodontitis therapy, then after 3, 6 to 12 months. It is important that the dentist reassesses the risk of disease progression from time to time (general illnesses, stress, living conditions, medication, hormone status, etc.) and then adjusts the intervals individually. For a lifetime.

What you can do yourself

Regular tooth brushing, preferably with an electric toothbrush (e.g. ApaCare Sonic toothbrush), ApaCare toothpaste and the use of interdental brushes reduces plaque and tartar and delays bacterial recolonisation of the gum pockets, which triggers periodontitis inflammation. Preventing periodontitis with pre- and postbiotic toothpastes (OraLactin toothpaste) or mouth rinses (OraLactin mouth rinse) is particularly effective. When used daily, these promote the good bacteria in the mouth and in the gum pockets and inhibit the growth of pathogens in the long term.

In addition, it is possible to clean your teeth at regular intervals (e.g. every 3 months) to preventively colonise the "good" bacteria with a 30-day probiotic cure (OraLactin sachets or lozenges).

Everything is completely well tolerated, with benefits for general health and without side effects.