Periodontal Treatments
Gums are as important factors affecting oral health as teeth; they surround the teeth and support functions such as chewing and speaking. Healthy gums are pink in color and have a hard structure. Healthy gums, which are firmly attached to the gums, do not bleed easily. You can easily determine whether there is a problem with your gums. If you frequently bleed while brushing your teeth, and when you look in the mirror and see that your gums are dark red and swollen, you should see a dentist immediately.
What are Gum Diseases?
Gum diseases are bacterial infections that occur in periodontal tissues. Gum diseases are not noticed for many years because they do not cause pain unless they reach a very advanced level. Gum disease can affect one or more teeth. Untreated gum disease can cause even healthy teeth to fall out due to loss of tissue and support.
Gum diseases are evaluated in two stages as gingivitis and periodontitis.
Gum Inflammation
Gum diseases begin with bacterial plaques that cause infection in the gums. It is very difficult to detect the disease at this stage. Gingivitis is the stage in which gum disease has progressed slightly. Although there is inflammation in the gums at this stage, inflammation does not occur in the bone that supports the teeth.
The most common of the symptoms of gingivitis is bleeding gums when brushing teeth. If you have healthy teeth and gums and brush your teeth properly using a soft toothbrush, your gums will not bleed. Therefore, recurrent gingival bleeding is the first sign of gingivitis. At this stage, the bleeding gums are now visibly red, swollen and shiny, but there is no pain.
If gingivitis is not treated, it turns into periodontitis. The most effective method in the treatment of gingivitis is tartar cleaning. The dentist cleans all dental calculus, including under the gums, with a vibrating cavitron tool to get rid of tartar and plaque formation that causes gingivitis,
In cases where calculus cleaning is not sufficient, the root surface straightening method known as curettage is used among the people.
Periodontitis
At this stage, the gums begin to bleed not only when brushing, but also on their own. Gums become even redder and swollen. Bad smell, bad taste and pain occur in the mouth. Since unhealthy gums are not treated in periodontitis, gingival recession and tooth loss occur as a result. Since the root surface of the tooth is exposed as a result of gingival recession, the teeth may be sensitive to heat and cold.
If periodontitis has not progressed enough to cause tooth loss, scaling and root surface straightening methods used in the treatment of gingivitis may also be sufficient at this stage. However, in the treatment of advanced periodontitis, a surgical procedure is needed to prevent tooth loss.
How Does Gum Disease Occur?
Gingivitis occurs as a result of dental plaque and tartar on the gums. This tartar and dental plaque may occur due to the effect of food residues accumulating between the teeth and gums due to not cleaning the teeth well enough, and some people may be genetically predisposed to the formation of tartar and plaque. Smoking is one of the most harmful habits that cause plaque and tartar formation. Gum disease is more common in diabetics, pregnant women and adolescents.
