[헬스코리아뉴스 / 김성태] Many patients visit the dentist only after a long period of time lag and unbearable pain occurs when tooth pain is considered minor.
Since most dental diseases do not have subjective symptoms at the beginning and progress slowly and chronically, it is important to receive early diagnosis through regular oral examination.
Even if the early diagnosis period is missed and dental diseases such as dental caries (caries), fracture, periodontal disease (gum disease) have progressed considerably, rather than unconditionally removing the tooth and placing an implant, if possible, leaving natural teeth and restorative treatment It is good to try root canal (nerve) treatment and periodontal treatment.
Periodontal tissue management and early treatment of periodontal disease are important
In the case of periodontal disease in which the periodontal tissue surrounding the tooth (gingival, alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, chalky, etc.) is destroyed, there is a risk of tooth loss due to destruction of the periodontal tissue even if there is no problem with the tooth itself.
Typical periodontal diseases are gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is a typical symptom of red, swollen gums and bleeding when brushing teeth. Since most of them do not cause severe pain, they often miss the right time for treatment and develop periodontitis.
Periodontitis, which was limited to the gums, gradually spreads, causing alveolar bone destruction and gingival retraction (the tooth roots are exposed due to the loss of gum tissue). In severe cases, it causes tooth agitation (tooth shaking side to side or up and down), and eventually leads to tooth loss.
Treatment of periodontal disease is largely divided into non-surgical treatment and surgical treatment. Non-surgical treatment is performed when periodontal disease is not severe, and scaling and root mobilization are typical. Surgical treatment includes gingival resection, gingival plastic surgery, periodontal valve surgery, regenerative periodontal surgery, and periodontal plastic surgery.
The reason why natural teeth are superior to implants
The reason why natural teeth should be preserved as much as possible is that natural teeth are superior to implants.
First, you can feel the chewy taste along with the unique taste of the food. Natural teeth have their own cells and nerves, so they can sense the temperature or hardness of food, and have excellent ability to cope with hot or cold stimuli, so they can chew food much more naturally.
Second, there is a periodontal ligament. The periodontal ligament is a thin film located between the teeth and the alveolar bone (gum bone), and acts as a kind of cushion to relieve weight or impact on the teeth. In addition, since it acts as a barrier against bacterial invasion, it is possible to slow the rate at which inflammation initiated from the gingiva leads to periodontal tissue destruction. On the other hand, implants do not have periodontal ligaments, so periodontal tissue destruction proceeds faster than natural teeth.
Third, it has the shape and number of roots optimized according to the location and function. Compared to the implant having one artificial root (artificial tooth root), the molar tooth has several roots, which effectively disperse the chewing force given from several directions or the impact from the outside.
Fourth, oral hygiene management is easy. Natural teeth are located at appropriate intervals between teeth. However, compared to natural teeth, implants have a smaller diameter at the root and widen the spacing between teeth, so food is easily caught.
Fifth, it has excellent aesthetics. It is not easy to perfectly reproduce the shape, transparency, and color tone of natural teeth in any implant prosthesis.
Although implants have become widely used as a treatment to replace natural teeth, it is difficult to replace the superiority of natural teeth. Unless the tooth is lost, it is advisable to try treatment that uses and maintains natural teeth as much as possible, and it is better to leave the implant as the last option. [글 : 김성태 서울대학교치과병원 치주과 전문의]
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