Periodontology – Gingiva

Periodontology is a field which examines the surrounding tissues of a tooth.

The tissues surrounding the teeth are

1. gingiva,
2. alveolar bone
3. periodontal ligament, respectively.

The gingiva is a soft tissue of coral pink in color, which surrounds the teeth, and is one of the most essential elements of both oral health and smile aesthetics.

The purpose of the periodontology is to diagnose and treat the diseases, deformities, recessions and resorptions in these tissues.

The etiology of the periodontal diseases is a bacterial plaque. Bacterial plaque formation occurs by clustering the pathogenic bacteria in the mouth with mucus and other particles in saliva over the tooth. The bacterial plaque, which can be removed with an effective oral care, causes the formation of tartar when it cannot be cleaned from the oral environment.

Bacteria play a role in the etiology of all periodontal diseases. Excessive tartar accumulation and incomplete oral hygiene act as a predisposing factor for the pathogen activities of the bacteria.

Failure to remove the bacterial plaque and tartar from the oral environment for a long time causes an inflammatory disease in the periodontal tissues. If the inflammatory disease is limited only to the gingiva and does not cause any damage to the bony tissue, it is defined as "gingivitis".

In the long-term, untreated cases of gingivitis, the inflammatory disease may spread to the bony tissue and cause destruction in the bony tissue. Cases where the inflammatory periodontal disease affects the bony tissues are called "periodontitis". If the periodontitis cases are not treated, an increase in the bone destruction surrounding the tooth is observed, increased tooth mobility is observed, and tooth extraction may even be required.

The main risk factors that play an important role in the development of periodontal diseases are smoking, hormonal changes, diabetes, certain drugs, and genetic predisposition.

The treatment plan for the treatment of the inflammatory periodontal diseases is determined by the inflammation area involved.

The dental tartar cleaning is sufficient only in the inflammatory diseases affecting the gingiva. If the inflammatory involvement is effective in the bony tissue as well as gingiva, the dental tartar cleaning and curettage (root planning and scaling) are applied. In cases of excessive bone destruction, a flap operation and bone grafting around the tooth root may be required.

The first symptoms of the periodontal diseases are as follows;

Gingival bleeding occurring during brushing, or spontaneously
Bad breath (halitosis)
Gum recession
Tooth mobility
Turning of the gingiva color to dark red and
Edema in the gingiva.

We recommend consult a dentist immediately in the case that any of these symptoms are noticed.