Common Oral Diseases

Oral diseases can be rather bothersome and preventable. For most of them, they are caused or at least enabled by the lack of proper oral care. So what are some of the common oral diseases?

Note: these are not in order of most common to least or vice versa.

The first one is gingivitis. You may also know this by the name, "gum disease" and it is one of the most common diseases for people to get. Some common risk factors for gingivitis include: general illness, poor/lack of dental hygiene, pregnancy, and uncontrolled diabetes. Gingivitis is a form of periodontal disease and is an inflammation and infection of the gums and oral tissues. It can harm the support of your teeth such as the gums, ligaments, and sockets. It comes from plaque deposits that have been around a while.

Another common disease is the next stage of gum disease, periodontitis. This is the inflammation and infection of the teeth ligaments and the bones that support the teeth. It can reach this stage by not treating gingivitis or delaying in treating it for too long. This can result in the loss of teeth and that can require dental implants if the jaw is still in good enough condition, or, if it is not, then you will need dentures.

One of the bigger diseases you can get is oral cancer. This often forms in the lips or the tongue but can also happen in the cheek lining, floor of the mouth, gums, or roof of the mouth. Typically, oral cancers are called squamous cell carcinomas. This cancer can spread rather quickly. Common causes of it are tobacco (especially chewing tobacco) and excessive alcohol consumption; other causes include: chronic irritation from things like rough teeth, dentures, etc, HPV, medications that weaken the immune system, and poor dental health.

One that sounds rather unpleasant is trench mouth. What is it? It is a rather painful infection caused by bacteria that creates swelling and ulcers in the gums. Why is it called that? Well, it was rather common for soldiers to get when fighting in the trenches of World War I. Common causes include: emotional stress, poor dental hygiene, poor nutrition, smoking (and chewing tobacco), and oral infections. This disease tends to affect people between the ages of 15-35.

A fifth common oral disease are mouth ulcers. Just like ulcers in your digestive system, these are sores or open lesions, except they are in the mouth. Common causes and risk factors include: canker sores, Gingivostomatitis, herpes simplex, Leukoplakia (do not confuse with leukemia), oral cancer, oral lichen plans, and oral thrush.

If you have any questions, then contact Rubino Dentistry - a Park Ridge dentist.