Previous surveys by the National Health Service found that periodontal disease is one of the most common oral diseases in the country. Because the initial symptoms are not obvious, up to 90% of people suffer from periodontal disease of varying degrees without knowing it.

Huang Shiyong, a physician at Zhongli Modern Dental Clinic, said that periodontal disease is a bacterial infectious disease that occurs in the tissues around the teeth. The main cause is mostly improper oral hygiene. Plaque accumulates between the teeth over time to form dental calculus, which continues to destroy gums, alveolar bones and other periodontal tissues. Once the alveolar bone and other periodontal tissues are invaded by bacteria, the bone foundation that supports the teeth will be lost, causing the teeth to shake and fall out.

Missing teeth are not just a matter of appearance! Huang Shiyong emphasized that missing teeth not only affect the appearance, but also directly affect the bite, chewing and balanced force of the whole mouth. Over time, the remaining healthy teeth will be displaced due to excessive stress and gradually collapse, shortening the life of the teeth. Therefore, the reconstruction of missing teeth is an indispensable key to curing periodontal disease.

Huang Shiyong pointed out that there are currently many ways to fill missing teeth, including traditional removable dentures; there are also traditional fixed dentures that need to be worn to support the healthy teeth on both sides, commonly known as dental bridges; and artificial dental implants, which implant precise titanium artificial tooth roots deep into the alveoli, have benefited many patients with missing teeth. Dental implants can not only consolidate the bones in the missing tooth areas and prevent them from shrinking, but also avoid the damage to the dentine of adjacent teeth that needs to be reconstructed in the form of a dental bridge.

Dental implants require healthy gums and enough bone to support the artificial tooth roots, Huang Shiyong reminded. Therefore, before the operation, you need to consult with the dentist to evaluate your physical condition, conduct a full-mouth oral health examination and periodontal examination, and then use 3D computerized tomography to evaluate the bone in the missing tooth area to confirm the width, height and other details of the bone. Patients with special diseases or chronic diseases also need to ask a physician for pre-operative evaluation. Even after periodontal disease is cured and dental implants are completed, people should still develop a good habit of cleaning their mouths at all times, and return to the dentist every six months to check their periodontal health and clean their teeth. Only by cleaning up the parts that cannot clean themselves can they truly stay away from periodontal disease.