Hello, I would like to know whether periodontal disease is hereditary? My father lost all his teeth because of it, and my gums also bleed easily when brushing. Thank you in advance for your answer.

Periodontal disease still does not have one precisely defined cause. It is a multifactorial disease, which means that there are numerous causes and they interact with one another. The most important risk factor for development of the disease is the presence of bacterial plaque. Bacteria in plaque, through their secretions and toxins, cause inflammation of the gums, which at first is limited only to the gums around the neck of the tooth. The gums bleed on contact. The inflammation is acute or subacute and at this stage still reversible, meaning that with proper hygiene the condition can return to normal. Later, the inflammation spreads to other periodontal tissues as well (bone and the tooth-supporting apparatus), becomes chronic and irreversible, meaning that a return to a healthy state is no longer possible. Other important risk factors are smoking, stress and hereditary factors. Only susceptibility to the disease is inherited, not the disease itself. Crowding of the teeth, which can be inherited, prevents proper and sufficient cleaning of the interdental spaces, which means plaque will cause inflammation of the gums and the main cause of the disease is thus present.