To maintain healthy teeth, it is also important to take care of the gums and the entire oral cavity. Along with tooth decay, the most common issues treated at our dental clinic are periodontal diseases—conditions affecting the tissues that surround the tooth and are responsible for its stable support in the jawbone. These include the gums, periodontal ligament (the ligaments and blood vessels that anchor the tooth in the bone), and the jawbone (alveolar bone) itself.
Gum diseases are caused by factors such as poor oral hygiene, malocclusions, infrequent dental visits, smoking, stress, and factors like genetics, gender, race, and age also play a role.
A periodontist specializes in treating gum diseases, and the field of dentistry that deals with these conditions is called periodontology.