Pyorrhea at 25

Hi Doc,

I am 25 and have had 4 root canal treatments done (Pretty bad, I know). Visited dentist last week for a regular clean-up visit. Was informed that I have aggressive pyorrhea after detecting with a Williams probe. Studied more about the disease on the internet. Didn't suffer from the symptoms (gum bleeding, irritation, itching, loosening of teeth etc). Can you please provide more information about the same? If possible, please upload an X-ray example indicating bone loss and other symptoms so I can understand better.

Thanks

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

I believe pyorrhea is also called periodontal disease or periodontitis.  The probe will measure the loss of attachment from the gums to the teeth.  If there is a "pocket" or a depth of 3mm or more, then that indicates a loss of attachment.  It could also indicate normal attachment but an "artificial" pocket due to inflammation of the gums swelling up, making it seem like there's a pocket.  

I'm not able to upload x-rays but severe periodontal disease would have bone loss on the x-ray.  Sometimes you can see the calculus (tartar) on the x-rays as well.