What is Gum Disease?
Can Gum Disease be Cured?
Istanbul Turkey Dental Clinic

What is Gum Disease?

Periodontal diseases are bacterial infections that cause the loss of the supporting tissues of the teeth due to plaque and tartar.

In the initial stages, only losses in the gum tissue are observed, and when this stage is treated, it is possible to reverse it. However, in advanced stages, losses progress to the bone tissue and lead to irreversible results. At this stage, the goal is to protect the remaining tissue and stop the disease.

The first symptoms of periodontal disease are mild bleeding and swelling, but over time, they begin to evolve into serious symptoms such as tooth loosening, bad taste, bad breath, and inability to use teeth in function. When bone loss is seen, there are situations such as spacing between teeth, change in the position of teeth, advanced tooth loosening, and abscess. These situations are irreversible in most stages, but in a small percentage, they can be compensated to a certain extent with advanced surgical methods.

Can Gum Disease be Cured?

In periodontal treatments, tooth cleaning, hard or soft tissue curettage if necessary, disinfection with laser and/or surgical methods can be preferred. The goal is to provide disinfection of the entire mouth. Following the necessary treatments, the golden rule is to explain the correct oral hygiene method to the patient, provide motivation for them to do the care regularly, and call them to follow-up appointments at regular intervals and keep their records.

In periodontal treatments, the responsibility lies with both the patient and the doctor. It is necessary to act together with full motivation. Periodontal surgical methods are very diverse, and they also include special microsurgical methods such as increasing the soft tissue around implants, cutting the muscle attachments that are attached to the wrong place (frenectomy), increasing the thickness of the gum around the teeth, and increasing the length of the tooth by cutting the gum (gingivectomy-gingivoplasty).