Question
What is periodontal disease? Is it the same as periodontitis?
Answer
Both gingivitis (gin-ji-VY-tis) and periodontitis (per-e-o-don-TIE-tis) are types of ‘periodontal diseases’.
This means any condition affecting the ‘periodontium’, which includes the area immediately surrounding teeth – the gum connection, the bone foundations and the shock-absorbing ligament under all of our teeth.
Periodontitis is a serious condition which damages the soft tissue and bone foundations that support your teeth.
Periodontitis can lead to loosened teeth, gaps between your teeth, wobbly teeth or complete tooth loss.