By Dr. Azim Malik
Specialist Periodontist and Implant Surgeon

WHY AM I SO PRONE TO GUM DISEASE?

So everyone has a different immune response and, also genetics, play a role in this.

The way I explain gum disease is that that it's a bit of a battle between the bacteria that people allow to grow in their mouth and their body.

The bacteria is detected by the body – and the body produces antibodies and chemicals to kill the bacteria.

The chemicals and the antibodies the body produces and the inflammatory markers it uses to kill the bacteria as collateral destroy some bone.

So it’s not actually bacteria destroying the bone per se – it’s a fight between the two.

So it's actually your body kind of destroying the bone because it wants to kill the bacteria – and the bacteria causes an immune response.

Immune response and gum disease?

Immune response means you lose bone – and that immune response is different in different people.

To help to explain this, we can take coronavirus as an example.

I had it pretty bad and I was out of action for two weeks. My Dad was in hospital. And my brother had no symptoms.

We're the same family and we had the same virus.

But our reaction to that virus was very different.

So, in some patients, the body responds aggressively.

In some patients it does not – so we don’t see their gum disease until they’re 50 or 60.

ARE HABITS A FACTOR IN GUM DISEASE?

Yes some people have gum disease but it’s inactive.

So, for example, you’ve had gum disease but you’ve been treated.

You’re a gum disease patient but you are stable.

It's a bit like diabetes – you can't get rid of diabetes but you can stabilise it and stop it from getting worse.

That's the same with gum disease.

It’s a chronic disease.

You'll always have it but it will just be stable.

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