Open mouth showing healthy set of bright white teeth. Steel dental probe in the foreground.

Teeth and gums

Dentistry deals with injuries and diseases of the teeth, gums, and jaw area. Common problems and diseases include caries, malocclusion of the teeth, and inflamed gums. Regular prophylaxis (prevention) makes it possible to alleviate or prevent many tooth and gum diseases.

Caries

Caries is a tooth disease. It develops through plaque bacteria, sweet foods and poor oral hygiene. Caries damages the teeth and can be painful.

Gingivitis: woman sitting on a dentist’s chair with her mouth open. The dentist is holding a dental mirror in one hand and a scaler in the other. He places the instrument in the woman’s mouth and examines her teeth.

Gingivitis and periodontitis

Gingivitis is usually harmless and is soon gone again. But sometimes the inflammation spreads and damages the periodontium. Then it is called periodontitis.

Tooth or jaw misalignments: boy smiling and showing his teeth. Many of his teeth are crooked and have a malformation.

Tooth and jaw misalignments

In tooth or jaw misalignments, the teeth are clearly shaped differently than they are for most people. Braces can be used to correct them.

A woman holds her right cheek, seemingly in pain.

Canker sores (aphthous ulcers)

Canker sores are among the most common diseases of the mouth lining. These creamy-white and reddish sores usually heal on their own. Gels, creams, or mouth rinses may ease the pain.

A woman with a towel wrapped around her head coughs into her open hand to check her breath.

Bad breath (halitosis)

If a person has “bad breath”, breathing out causes an unpleasant odor. In most cases, good oral and dental hygiene helps relieve the problem. Find out what causes bad breath and how to prevent it.

Eine Ärztin, die Mundschutz und Schutzbrille trägt, hält ein Röntgenbild eines Gebisses zur Ansicht der Weisheitszähne in den Händen.

Wisdom teeth

The wisdom teeth are found at the very back of the mouth, at the end of each row of teeth. Having them extracted is often unpleasant and may have side effects. But do they always need to be taken out?