Periodontium

The periodontium ( periodontal ligament of Greek παρά [ para ], next to ' and ὀδούς, gene. Ὀδόντος [ odontos ], tooth ' ) is the functional anchoring system of the tooth.

The Periodontics is a specialty of dentistry and deals with the periodontium, its diseases and their therapies. This includes the study of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pathogenesis and etiology.

Construction

The periodontium consists of:

• Gums ( gingiva )
• Dental cement ( cementum )
• Tooth socket ( alveolus )
• PDL ( periodontal ligament or periodontium )

The fibroblasts of the periodontium form collagen fibers ( Sharpey's fibers). These connective tissue fibers ( 28,000 fibers per square centimeter ) of the periodontal apparatus connecting the cement of the tooth to the tooth socket. This connection of the tooth to the jaw bone is firm but flexible. The tooth is " springy " hung in his tooth socket. The fibers (eg when chewing ) very excited when pressure on the tooth and prevent excessive impressions of the tooth root into the bone. They also transmit the force to the bone as a tensile force, whereby the pressure on the gear train is converted in to the bone. Train is the optimal load type for bone and irritates him to build or to reinforce, while applying pressure to the bone to bone loss and wasting leads (for example, bone resorption after tooth loss). Elastic fibers ensure that upon release of the pressure of the tooth is re- moved from the low end position, relax the tensed collagen fibers and can be blood circulation in the tooth socket again.

The gingival sulcus (Latin sulcus furrow, Latin gingiva gums) is a circularly running around the tooth cavity between the neck of the tooth and the gums. The bottom of the sulcus forms the supra-alveolar fiber apparatus (formerly ligament circulare ) which amplifies the not particularly strong bond between the tooth surface and epithelial attachment.

An inflammatory disease of the periodontium is called periodontitis, the current classification of periodontal diseases was established in 1999 at a workshop led by the American Academy of Periodontology. An outdated, but colloquially still much used term " periodontal disease ".