Dental Pain

Different Types

There are two basic types of periodontal disease: gingivitis and periodontitis.

Gingivitis is the most common gum disease and is characterized by an inflammation of the gums, or gingiva. When plaque forms on teeth, the adjacent gums become swollen and red. There are several different types of gingivitis:

• Ordinary gingivitis - causes red, swollen gums that bleed easily and bad breath. Treatment is effective, but if left untreated the condition can progress.
• Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis - an acute infection characterized by tissue death (necrosis), spontaneous bleeding, rapid pain onset and a bad odour.
• Desquamative gingivitis - usually a result of an allergic reaction or of skin diseases, such as lichen planus, benign mucous membrane pemphigoid, bullus pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris. Peeling gum tissue leaves a red and painful surface.
• Drug-induced gingivitis - a side effect of many drugs.
• Hormone-influenced gingivitis - affects adolescents, pregnant women and women using oral contraceptives.

Although gingivitis can precede periodontitis, some dental experts claim that these are two separate and unrelated diseases. Individuals with periodontitis experience connective tissue and bone loss. There are four types of periodontitis:

• Adult periodontitis - may begin in adolescence and progresses slowly throughout life.
• Early-onset periodontitis - occurs in young people before puberty (prepubertal periodontitis), at puberty (juvenile periodontitis) or after puberty (rapidly progressive periodontitis). Possible causes of this condition are immune deficiencies and genetics.
• Disease-related periodontitis - is associated with diseases that affect the whole body, such as diabetes, Down's syndrome and AIDS.
• Refractory periodontitis - unresponsive to treatment. Little is known about this condition.