Dentist is a place that many people hate to go to, but it is also the most visited place. According to the actual Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s 2020 dabindo disease statistics, gingivitis and periodontal disease ranked first among all diseases with 16,372,879 people.
The highest frequency of dental outpatient diseases was in the order of ▲gingivitis and periodontal disease ▲dental caries ▲periodontal and root unit disease. In particular, it is easy to misunderstand that dental caries, which is called tooth decay, is the most common dental disease, but the number of patients treated was 6,189,346, rather less than periodontal disease.
Inflammatory diseases caused by microorganisms or groups of microorganisms in the periodontal tissue are called periodontal diseases, commonly referred to as gum disease. Periodontal tissue is composed of periodontal bone that firmly holds the tooth, root cementum that covers the root of the tooth, periodontal ligament that connects the tooth and alveolar bone, and gingiva, which is a soft tissue that covers the alveolar bone.
Various bacteria live in our mouth, and bacteria are mixed with food or saliva and adhere to the teeth to form plaque, a colorless, thin sticky film. If oral hygiene conditions such as brushing teeth are not clean, plaque hardens and becomes tartar, and bacteria easily propagate, resulting in gum inflammation.
In the case of gingivitis, inflammation of the gums is confined to the soft tissue, and recovery is possible with simple treatment. However, care must be taken as it can be difficult to recover to its original state if it is neglected and progresses to the alveolar bone located under the gum.
When the gums become inflamed, the gums become red, swollen, bleed, or cause bad breath. In severe cases, symptoms such as receding gums and teeth appearing longer may appear.
Diagnosis is made through the degree of inflammation, periodontal tissue, and radiographs, and depending on the condition, drug treatment, non-surgical treatment such as tartar removal, or surgical treatment such as gingivectomy is performed.
Tartar is a bacterial film covering the surface of teeth that hardens and adheres to the surface of teeth, and it is not easily removed by brushing. If there is a lot of tartar, it must be removed quickly because it smells bad and the bone in the area of tartar is absorbed and can cause tooth damage. Tartar removal, commonly known as scaling, is a procedure that removes plaque and calculus from teeth with a tartar removal tool or ultrasound.
Gingivectomy, on the other hand, is a surgery to remove inflammation by resecting the gingiva when the gums are enlarged due to inflammation or periodontal pockets are formed deeply, making it difficult to treat only with surgery. Gingivectomy is effective not only in removing inflammation but also in cases where additional treatment is required, such as root surgery.
Jang Ji-hyeon, head of the dental center at Daedong Hospital, said, “Periodontal disease often passes without symptoms in the early stages, so it is good to have an oral examination once a year.” It is also very important to keep your oral health clean as it can interfere with your daily life, such as lack of strength.”
He also emphasized that “most dental diseases, including periodontal disease, are prone to recurrence,” and “even if treatment is performed, professional scaling and regular oral examinations are essential.”
To prevent periodontal disease, it is necessary to properly clean the oral condition by using oral instruments such as toothbrush, dental floss, and interdental brush to prevent the formation of plaque. To properly remove plaque from the gums, hold the toothbrush close to the gums and brush thoroughly from the area where the gums and teeth come in contact. In some cases, it is difficult to remove tartar by brushing your teeth alone, so it is recommended to have tartar removal surgery together with an oral examination every year.
