This condition is widely known as an insidious bacterial disease that attacks the gums and the jaw bone that surrounds and anchors the teeth.

Tooth loss is often the final result of neglecting to treat the disease in the early stages.

Bad breath and bleeding gums can be an early indicator of problems, pain is usually in the final stages of bone loss.

Your whole body and many existing illnesses can be affected by this inflammatory disease:

• Pregnancy - can cause preterm of low birth weight.
• Diabetes -oral infections can reduce control of the course of diabetes.
• Strokes and heart attacks - high correlation between persons with periodontal disease.
• Chronic Inflammation can affect cortisol balance.

• Teeth are usually lost for the following reasons - decay, gun disease or through an accident.  Without teeth, the bone usually will reabsorb (shrink away).
• With most people, the bone will almost completely disappear by the time you reach your golden years.  The loss is accelerated by previous loss of bone through periodontitis.
• Once the bone loss is sever, mostly in the lower jaw, a full denture cannot be worn.  Every time you bite down, the denture hits the now unprotected nerve and pinches it, a sensation much like hitting the nerve at the back of your elbow.
• At this stage, your only choice might be to reconstruct the bone by grafting - from the ribs, pelvis or artificial or donated/transplant bone sources.
• At one of the most critical moments in your life - old age - you are unable to eat properly and so do not receive proper nutrition.
• However, if you had to lose a tooth, you can now reliably replace the tooth by the placement of implants - only if you have enough bone material.

Reference Sites are linked below:

American Academy of Periodontology