What is Periodontal Disease?
Periodontal diseases; They are inflammatory diseases that also affect the gums, surrounding tissues and jawbone. Gum diseases are the first cause of tooth loss. These diseases can be treated easily and successfully when diagnosed at an early stage. Prevention or treatment of gum disease; It also brings other benefits such as the protection of natural teeth, more comfortable chewing and better digestion.
What are the Symptoms of Gum Disease?
There are many signs of gum disease;
- Bleeding gums while brushing teeth
- Red, swollen and tender gums
- Gums that can be easily separated from the teeth and moved away
- Inflammatory discharge between the teeth and gums
- Teeth that wobble or move away from each other (creation of gaps between teeth or increase in existing gaps)
- Changes in the relationship between the upper and lower teeth during biting
- Change in partial denture fit, deterioration.
- Persistent bad breath
What is the Cause of Gum Disease?
The most important cause of gum disease is the sticky and colorless film layer called “bacterial dental plaque” that accumulates on the teeth. Removal of dental plaque by daily brushing and use of dental floss is the basic requirement for a healthy mouth. If plaque is not effectively removed from the teeth, it turns into an irregular and permeable structure known as calculus or tartar. Harmful products released by the bacteria in the plaque cause irritation in the gums. Due to these products, the fibers that bind the gingiva to the tooth are destroyed, the gingiva moves away from the tooth and a periodontal pocket is formed. Thus, it is easier for bacteria and their products to progress to deeper tissues. As the disease progresses, the pocket gets deeper, the bacteria go deeper; It progresses to the bone and destruction begins in the alveolar bone that supports the tooth. If the disease is left untreated, eventually the teeth will become loose and may even need extractions.
How to Prevent Gum Disease?
The most important task in the prevention of periodontal disease falls on the person himself. In order to maintain the teeth in a healthy condition, it is necessary to remove bacterial dental plaque with daily oral care procedures (tooth brushing and using dental floss). It is equally important to visit the dentist regularly. Daily oral care procedures can minimize the formation of calculus, but may not prevent it completely. A dentist’s evaluation of areas that cannot be reached with a toothbrush, dental floss or other cleaning tools is necessary for the removal of existing dental plaque and/or calculus.
What is the Treatment of Gum Diseases?
Treatment in the early stages of gum disease includes removing the attachments (plaque and calculus) on the teeth and providing a smooth root surface. This process ensures the removal of bacteria and irritants that cause inflammation in the gums. Usually, this treatment is sufficient for the gingiva to adapt to the tooth again or to shrink the gingiva and eliminate the pocket. In the majority of cases in the early stages of gum disease, daily effective oral care is sufficient for successful treatment, following tartar removal, removal of plaque and ensuring a smooth root surface. More advanced cases may require surgical treatment. The aim of this treatment is to clean the calculus in the deep periodontal pockets surrounding the teeth, to eliminate the pocket by shrinking and to provide a smooth root surface and to create a more easily cleanable gingival form.
After periodontal treatment, patients should be regularly examined by a dentist, plaque control and new tartar accumulations should be removed from the environment. But it should not be forgotten that; No process can be more beneficial for the maintenance of what has been achieved with periodontal treatment than the effective application of daily oral care procedures.
