Periodontics is a dental branch aiming to promote, restore and maintain health for the supporting structures of the teeth (gums, bone, periodontal ligament). Therapies in Periodontics are both non- surgical and surgical and tend to counteract the following pathologies (diseases):
Gingivitis: the inflammation of superficial soft tissues (gums) due to the presence of bacterial plaque and calculus (calcified bacterial plaque). It appears as redness, swelling, bleeding of the gums, and sometimes is associated with pain.
Periodontitis: the inflammation of deep supporting tissues (bone, periodontal ligament), which therefore involves also the root of the affected teeth. For this condition as well, the cause is represented by bacterial plaque and calculus (calcified bacterial plaque), which in susceptible patients produces the disease. Commonly defined as “pyorrhea”, if untreated it can lead to tooth loss. It appears not only as redness, swelling, bleeding and painful gums, but also by the presence of periodontal pockets, abscesses, bad odor and taste in the mouth (halitosis), longer teeth due to gingival retraction, tooth mobility, tooth migration with space formation, and bone loss.
Gingival recession: the retraction of the gums along the root of a tooth, which remains uncovered and exposed to the oral environment. The consequent discomfort may be only esthetical in nature, or caused by thermal sensitivity (pain for cold and hot beverages and food), by exposed root damage due to mechanical abrasion and/or decay, by chronic inflammation of the involved gingiva (gingivitis), or by an important amount of bone loss ultimately leading to tooth loss.
