Dental Diseases and Treatment

What are Gum Diseases?

Gum disease is an infectious disease that affects the tissues surrounding and supporting the tooth, not the tooth. Even teeth that have no caries can be lost due to this disease. Periodontal diseases can affect one or more teeth; It is one of the most common chronic diseases in the society, which can be seen in children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. Since it is usually painless, the symptoms are hardly noticed by the patient and in most cases, a late referral to the physician is made.

Supporting tissues around the teeth; They are the fibers that connect the gum, tooth root, jawbone and the root of the tooth to the jawbone, and this structure is called “periodonsium”. Conditions where the infection only affects the gums are also called "gingivitis". Symptoms of gingivitis; It is red, swollen, shiny, soft-consistent and easily bleeding gingiva. Bleeding is the most important symptom.

In more advanced cases, the conditions in which the gingiva and other tissues mentioned above are affected are defined as “periodontitis”. Symptoms of periodontitis; gingival bleeding, red/bluish-purple discoloration, gingival recession, gingival enlargement, tooth displacement, spacing, elongation, swaying, abscess formation, tenderness and bad breath. Pain is usually accompanied by abscess formation. As a result, infection, aesthetic defect, loss of chewing and a diseased infrastructure that cannot support the prosthesis to be made occurs in the periodontium.

Periodontology

 It is the branch of dentistry that examines the structure of the soft and hard tissues surrounding the teeth, the diseases that occur in these tissues and the treatment of these diseases. Gums form the infrastructure of our mouth and teeth. Healthy gingiva is pink in color and tightly surrounds the teeth. If your gums are unhealthy, it means you may lose your teeth one day, even if your teeth are not rotten.

Diseases can be listed as follows:

• Plaque Formation: Bacteria in the mouth accumulate over time and form a yellow layer. If these plaques are not cleaned, they secrete acid and cause serious damage to the teeth.
• Gum Inflammation: Making some mistakes while brushing teeth or not using dental floss causes bacteria to grow in the mouth. Bacteria cause inflammation in the gums.
• Gum Retraction: Gums are pulled back to expose the root of the tooth. Gaps are formed between the retracted gums and the ground is prepared for bacteria.
• Gingival Bleeding: These bleedings can sometimes be caused by diseases such as diabetes, hemophilia, or due to inflammation. If the diseases that cause bleeding gums are not treated, it can lead to tooth loss.

Treatment Methods;

Surgical procedures related to oral and maxillofacial diseases can be performed under local anesthesia or under general anesthesia. Patients should be kept under observation after major surgical procedures. In the application of surgical procedures, the comfort of the patients, their existing diseases, their anxiety and fear from the treatment are taken into consideration first and the patients are treated accordingly.