WHAT IS PERIODONTOLOGY?
It is a branch of dentistry that examines the health of the hard and soft tissues around teeth and implants, diagnoses the diseases of these tissues, treats them and preserves their health after treatment.
WHAT SHOULD A HEALTHY GUM BE LIKE?
The color of a healthy gum should be pink. There should be no bleeding during tooth brushing, flossing or biting fruit such as an apple. It should end by tapering off like a knife edge at the edges of the tooth and hold on tightly to the tooth.
WHY DOES GUM DISEASE OCCUR?
A soft bacterial layer called microbial dental plaque forms on the surfaces of the teeth, between the teeth, especially at the tooth-gum junction. When this layer is not cleaned by brushing, it becomes a place that allows harmful bacteria to live. Meanwhile, under the influence of intraoral minerals, this layer begins to petrify and harden. The harmful substances produced by these bacteria primarily cause inflammation (infection) in our gums. As a result of this infection, swelling, redness, pain and bleeding occur in our gums.
As this layer of bacterial dental plaque continues not to be cleaned, the infection grows, causing bone resorption and therefore mobility in the teeth.
Since the roughness of the dental stones will cause more stones to accumulate on them, the gum problem grows faster over time.
WHAT ARE GUM DISEASES?
The initial form of gum disease is a permanent gum infection. The bacterial plaque layer that is not cleaned causes bleeding in the gums in the first place. This gum disease is called GINGIVITIS.
The disease observed in individuals who do not pay attention to brushing and flossing despite bleeding in the gums, as a result of the infection in the gums spreading to the bone underneath and causing bone melting, is called PERIODONTITIS.
As this disease progresses, bad breath first appears. Gradually, movements in the teeth are observed, and even as the teeth progress, displacements and gaps are observed. In smokers, it delays bleeding due to the effects of nicotine on the veins and can mask the symptoms of these problems even if they are very advanced.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER CAUSES OF GUM DISEASES OTHER THAN PLAQUE?
CIGARETTE
Gum problems are frequently observed in individuals who smoke, due to the nicotine contained in cigarettes disrupting the vascularity of the gums.
ADOLESCENCE, PREGNANCY AND MENAPAUSE
Hormonal changes that occur in our body during these special periods of our lives also cause sensitivity in the gum tissue and increase susceptibility to infection. During these periods, we should pay more attention to our oral care than ever before.
SYSTEMIC DISEASES
Diabetes carries a high risk of developing infection in the oral tissues. Especially in patients with uncontrolled diabetes, dryness in the mouth, burning sensation, and loss of taste sensation organ tongue papillae are observed.
Diseases that disrupt the body’s defense system, such as leukemia and AIDS, increase our chances of developing gum diseases.
MEDICINES
Some medications can have a bad effect on our oral health by causing specific changes in our gums. The main ones of these drugs are birth control drugs, antidepressants, some blood pressure and heart drugs, drugs that suppress the immune system, epilepsy drugs, asthma drugs and cortisone-containing sprays.
STRESS
Stress is an important risk factor for oral tissues as well as other parts of our body. The main cause of the disease we call AGGRESSIVE PERIODONTITIS, which is characterized by sudden bone destruction, is stress along with plaques.
NOT ENOUGHT FEEDING
As our body’s repair mechanism will slow down due to insufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals, our gums’ resistance to infection will decrease. Therefore, our chances of getting gum diseases increase.
CAN GUM DISEASES BE GENETICLY INHERENT?
Some gum diseases may be genetically inherited. In the anamnesis we receive from our patients, we encounter family stories that we are accustomed to hearing frequently. However, even if it is genetically inherited, it is possible to be protected from gum diseases thanks to regular oral care with regular use of tooth brushing and dental floss, a dentist examination every 6 months, and tartar and plaque cleaning performed by our dentist.
HOW TO TREAT GUM DISEASES?
Treatment of gum diseases is decided by looking at the progression of the disease. If you have GINGIVITIS, a disease characterized by bleeding in your gums, this disease can be prevented by cleaning your teeth from tartar and plaque.
If the problem has progressed and reached a level that will cause bone melting (PERIODONTITIS), this area must be surgically opened, subgingival tartar that may cause this problem in the area must be cleaned, and then bone powder and membrane must be applied to the area to repair the dissolved bone.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS APPLIED IN OUR CLINIC FOR GUM DISEASES?
- Total Oral Care
- Subgingival Curettage
- Hard tissue grafting
- Soft tissue grafting
- Free gingival grafting
- Connective tissue grafting
WHAT IS TOTAL INTRAORAL CARE USED IN OUR CLINIC?
Local anesthesia is first applied to our patients who apply to our clinic for total intraoral care to avoid sensitivity during the treatment. Afterwards, areas containing dense tartar are cleaned with our cavitron device, which works with ultrasonic sound waves.
After dense tartar is removed from the tooth and gum surface with the Cavitron device, the remaining plaque is cleaned with a device called air flow. This device also painlessly removes all plaque extending 1-2 mm below the gums. After all the plaque is cleaned from the mouth, the surfaces of the teeth are polished with the help of polishing paste and brush so that we do not leave any room for plaque formation again.
At the end of the treatment, our patient is informed about the correct use of toothbrush and dental floss, along with oral hygiene training.
WHAT IS SUBGINGIVAL CURETAGE?
It is the technique of opening and cleaning the gums with a small surgical operation and then closing them with stitches in order to clean the tartar and plaques that cannot be cleaned with total oral care.
We decide whether to apply this treatment or not after performing total oral care. Despite the tartar and plaque cleaning, the persistence of infection symptoms in our patient’s gums indicates subgingival tartar in the gums. In such cases, subgingival curettage is the easiest way for the patient to regain gum health.
WHAT IS HARD TISSUE GRAFTING?
If gum disease has progressed to the bone and caused bone melting, the teeth begin to move. It is a process performed to prevent these movements and, in a sense, to prolong the time the teeth stay in the mouth. In this procedure, first local anesthesia is applied to the area where the melting occurs. After the area is surgically opened, the tartar and plaque that cause dissolution in the area are cleaned. Bone powder, which we call Xenograft, is added to the area where bone resorption occurs. A membrane, called a membrane, is laid over it and the gums in the area are closed with the help of stitches.
WHAT IS SOFT TISSUE GRAFTING?
The structure of our gums that surround our teeth is the most important factor that determines the lifespan of our teeth. In order to repair gingival recession that occurs in the gums for any reason, the cause of the recession is first determined and eliminated. If it is a tartar, it should be cleaned, if it is incorrect brushing, the way we brush should be changed. Then, through a surgical procedure, an appropriate amount of gum is transferred to this area from the upper jaw-palate area, where our gums are healthy, and fixed to the area where the recession occurs with the help of stitches. This procedure is called soft tissue grafting.
CAN GUM ENLARGEMENTS BE TREATED?
Gingival enlargements that occur for various reasons are reduced in size without bleeding and stitches with the laser treatment applied in our clinic. Our aim with this treatment is to provide an aesthetic appearance of the gums as well as a cleanable gingival environment.
WHAT IS GUMMY SMILE?
During a natural smile, the appearance of some gum along with our teeth is considered within aesthetic limits. However, if the appearance of the gums is higher than expected, various adjustments can be made to our gums. The most important of these is GINGIVOPLASTY. This procedure can be completed in a single session, without bleeding or stitching, using our laser device in our clinic. In fact, in our patients who want to take this aesthetic one step further, Laminated Porcelains, which are planned together with the length of their teeth, are applied on their teeth.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT GUM DISEASES?
It is very important to clean the teeth at least twice a day using a toothbrush and dental floss to remove all plaque.
Going for a dentist check-up every 6 months is the most important step for our oral and dental health. During our examinations, total intraoral care should be performed to remove plaques that we cannot clean in daily life.
A balanced diet, not smoking, and avoiding stress will help us avoid gum diseases.