Periodontal disease, the biggest “killer” of teeth, people generally know the danger of tooth decay, but do not know that periodontal disease is the biggest “killer” of teeth. Periodontal is the gum and alveolar bone around the teeth. If you compare teeth to a tree, then periodontal is the soil and water of the tree, soil and water loss, the tree will fall, no matter how tall and strong the tree is, it is useless. In our country, the prevalence of periodontal disease is very high, and more than half of the tooth extractions are due to periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is not a “minor disease”, and can even affect the health of the whole body, leading to or aggravating other diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, lung infections, etc.. Therefore, periodontal disease should not be taken lightly. Many people have a misconception that people will lose their teeth when they get older. In fact, tooth loss is mainly caused by periodontal disease, if there is no periodontal disease, people rarely lose their teeth in old age. But if you have serious periodontal disease, even if you are not old, you are also prone to tooth loss. It is recommended to do a regular oral examination once a year in order to detect the problem early and deal with it in time. Bleeding from brushing teeth is a typical symptom Periodontal disease mainly includes two types of gingivitis and periodontitis. If gingivitis is not treated in time, gums will bleed frequently; if early periodontitis is not treated in time, it will develop into serious periodontitis. Bleeding from brushing teeth is a typical symptom of periodontal disease. When gingivitis occurs, the edges of the gums will appear bright red or purplish red, and sometimes vesicles will appear. When the gums are touched, they bleed and are accompanied by significant bad breath. Periodontitis, commonly known as “fire tooth”, is a disease that affects the alveolar bone and periodontal ligament. In this case, the gums swell, lose elasticity, bleed more easily, and the gums separate from the teeth, forming deep blind pockets (i.e. periodontal pockets). When it develops to a certain extent, it can lead to weakness in chewing, loosening of teeth or even loss of teeth. When bleeding gums and periodontal abscesses occur, many people do not know that this is a periodontal problem and think that bleeding gums are due to fire and can be solved by drinking some herbal tea or taking some anti-inflammatory drugs. Periodontal disease is also often overlooked because it develops slowly. Little do we know that if the periodontium is destroyed a little bit every year, the teeth will be loose in a few years. Therefore, you should not wait for periodontal disease to develop very seriously before going to the doctor, but must be controlled in time to keep it from developing. Once diagnosed, patients with periodontal disease must be treated aggressively, and the treatment must be maintained through consistent oral health care to prevent recurrence. Protecting periodontal is not difficult to do Nowadays, most people will get into the habit of brushing their teeth, and they think that brushing is to prevent caries, but they do not know that the very important role of brushing is to prevent periodontal disease. The most important role of brushing is to control plaque, prevent gingivitis and control periodontitis. If you don’t use fluoride toothpaste, brushing is not very useful to prevent caries, but it is important to prevent periodontal disease. For the prevention of periodontitis, there are two awareness is very important: one is to brush before going to bed, and the other is to brush effectively. Effective brushing means brushing properly, inside and out, and brushing for no less than three minutes each time. The most inflammatory area of periodontal tissue is the adjacent surface between the teeth (the interdental space), where plaque is easily retained and the bristles of the toothbrush are difficult to access. For patients who have developed moderate or severe periodontitis and have large gaps, an interdental brush can be used to clean the adjacent surfaces; for those with healthier periodontium, flossing should be used to clean the gaps. In addition to proper brushing and flossing, using mouthwash is also very important to prevent and treat periodontal disease. Both toothbrush and dental floss can only remove plaque on the surface of the teeth, but there are many bacteria in the mouth besides those on the surface of the teeth, and many on the surface of the oral mucosa and the back of the tongue. Therefore, it makes sense to brush your teeth in the morning and evening and rinse your mouth after meals. There are many mouthwashes on the market, how to choose? Daily use of mouthwash should belong to the oral health category, does not contain antibiotics, only contains some compounds that inhibit bacteria, such as plant extracts, essential oils, etc.. Mouthwashes containing antibiotics should be prescribed by a doctor for people with periodontal disease. It is generally believed that mouthwash containing antibiotics should not be used for a long time, while mouthwash containing only essential oils and plant extracts can be used on a daily basis. Pay attention to periodontal and protect it, so that we can have healthy teeth for a lifetime.