Parodontitis – Die unsichtbare Gefahr

Dear patients,

Periodontitis: Since 1990, the Day of German Dental Health has aimed to raise awareness among the German population of dental and oral diseases .
In the following article I would like to give you a few insights from my point of view as a dentist and draw your attention to a very special oral disease - periodontitis - which we are seeing more and more of in our practice.

Good news first: 

Although caries is still one of the most common chronic diseases, the number of caries-free dentures has more than doubled since 1997. Children in particular are today caries -free, with peak values ​​of 80% among 12-year-olds . 

Diseases of the periodontium ( periodontitis disease ), which are the main cause of tooth loss and have long been classified as a “ widespread disease ”, are also declining on paper.

We see a declining trend in all age groups from 35, despite more and more own teeth in old age. 

However, the numbers are still starting. 

Every second younger adult (35-44 years) has moderate or severe periodontitis.

Every fifth young senior (65-74 years) has a severe form. 

So the question arises, how can this go unnoticed?

Periodontitis disease does not cause pain and manifests itself in symptoms such as bleeding gums or receding or swollen, bright red gums. These symptoms are dismissed by many with the sentence "I always bleed like that" or "I just have bad gums". Since it is also an inflammation that forms in the periodontal pockets, it is difficult to assess even for laypeople.

Now that you know about the invisible danger, what can you do about it?

Come to the check-up. Let us know if you have gum problems . A check-up not only focuses on your dental health, but also on your oral health .

An annual tooth cleaning is completely irreplaceable for me as a preventive measure against various oral diseases at any age . Preventive and aftercare is at least as important for gum disease as the actual therapy. We therefore attach great importance to improving your oral hygiene at home and enabling you to take responsibility for your own oral health . 

Periodontal therapy is covered by statutory health insurance. In 2021, the guideline for the treatment of periodontitis was also revised. We took this as an opportunity to redefine and improve the key points of our own concept .

Hence my appeal to you: Invest in yourself and your (dental) health!