How to Pronounce Periodontitis

Say it like this: pair-ee-oh-don-TY-tis. Break it into six syllables: pair-ee-oh-don-ti-tis. The stress falls on the fourth syllable, so you say it a little louder and longer: don-TY-tis.

Many people stress the wrong syllable and say peer-ee-oh-DON-titis instead of pair-ee-oh-don-TY-tis. Remember: the TY part gets the stress, not the DON part.

It's a serious gum problem where the gums and the bone around your teeth become damaged or infected. Think of it as inflammation and infection affecting the structures that hold your teeth in place.

It combines three parts: peri- (meaning 'around'), odont- (meaning 'tooth'), and -itis (meaning 'inflammation'). All three parts come from Greek, so the word literally means 'inflammation around the tooth.'

Words like orthodontist (someone who straightens teeth), endodontist (a dentist who treats inside the tooth), and gingivitis all share dental roots. Gingivitis also ends in -itis, meaning inflammation, just like periodontitis does.

It's sometimes shortened to perio (say: PEER-ee-oh), which is used casually in dental settings. But the full word periodontitis is what you'll see in medical writing.

You might say: 'The dentist explained that my gum disease had developed into periodontitis.' Or: 'Periodontitis affects the tissues supporting the teeth, not just the gums.'

The first syllable sounds like the word 'pair' (rhymes with hair or care), not 'peer' (rhymes with beer). This matches the Greek root peri-, which starts with a short 'e' sound followed by an 'r.'