You go to the dentist and the dentist said "No more monkeys jumping on the bed. And you have the first signs of apical periodontitis. Have a nice day!" Your mouth is fully open in surprise now and lack of recognition of the term used is not helpful. It must be some disease, but what happens with it and how do you treat it?

Apical periodontitis as your dentist explains is an advanced form of gum disease where the bacteria basically go beyond just inflaming tissue to all out war. It attacks the gums first, gains strength and starts to work on ligaments and bones. The ultimate goal of the disease is to eliminate all structures in the mouth that attach your teeth to the jaw. Basically the result is loss of your teeth.

Apical periodontitis is a serious degeneration of the tissues, bones and ligaments in the gums and jaw. It does serious harm to all of these areas and causes considerable pain. It usually causes permanent damage to the entire mouth area requiring fairly drastic procedures if not treated early.

Another question about apical periodontitis comes out of your mouth and this time it wonders about miracle cures from modern dentistry. The dentist frowns a little and says there is not a magic pill to cure this disease, but several treatments can be effective most of the time. Not the perfect answer for your addled brain, but it does calm you somewhat and give you some hope.

Apical periodontitis can be treated in the early stages with simply trying to power wash out the offending bacteria with a special antiseptic solution or just pure water. The power of the stream will clean out most of the current bacteria and follow-up treatments with anti-bacterial rinses can make the progress permanent.

If you don't choose the water treatment route, there are other cleaning methods that have proven effective for most patients with apical periodontitis. One uses the technology of ultrasound vibrations to shake up the bacteria and promote your natural systems effective response to the disease invasion. The tissue structures around the tooth and gum are strengthened to at least slow any tissue damage.

The final results of apical periodontitis are not immediate and may be greatly slowed by normal cleaning procedures for teeth and gums. Regular dental checkups will reveal the signs of decay or infection to your dentist and treatments are available. Basic dental care to keep your teeth and gums connected while being bacteria free will go a long ways to help prevent apical periodontitis.

You really think you have it with this last supposed cure for apical periodontitis. The main difficulty is getting the bacteria fighting solutions into the pocket homes of the disease. This is the same difficulty you faced in brushing and flossing to begin with. Next you try a relatively new device that places a mouthpiece over your teeth and the inside is covered with bacteria fighting goo. As you wear the device, the goo seeps quietly into the pockets and kills the bacteria. This final tool really works well so your teeth are safe for now. But you vow to brush and floss all the time now.