If a Korean dentist has just told you something in a language you only half caught, this is the place to look it up. Each entry explains what the condition actually is, how it is usually managed, and what specifically differs when you are being treated in Korea — insurance status, records you can take with you on a PCS move, and when something genuinely warrants same-week attention.
These pages are informational. Nothing here is a diagnosis, and none of it quotes a price — for costs see our pricing page, which lists exactly the same figures Korean patients see.
🦠 Gum & Periodontal 5
Gingivitis
치은염
Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums caused by plaque bacteria. It is the only stage of gum disease that is fully reversible — once it progresses to periodontitis, the bone loss is permanent. If your gums bleed when you brush, that is gingivitis, not "hard brushing".
Periodontitis
치주염
Periodontitis is gum disease that has spread past the gums into the bone that anchors your teeth. The bone it destroys does not grow back. Treatment stops the progression and stabilises what remains — which is why the timing of your first visit largely determines the outcome.
Chronic Periodontitis
만성 치주염
Chronic periodontitis is the slow-progressing, most common form of gum disease, typically appearing after age 35 and advancing over years with little or no pain. Its defining feature is that damage accumulates quietly between dental visits.
Dental Calculus (Tartar)
치석
Calculus is plaque that has mineralised into a hard deposit. Once formed, no toothbrush, floss, mouthwash, or whitening product removes it — only professional scaling does. Its rough surface then breeds more plaque, which is why it drives gum disease.
Pregnancy Gingivitis
임신성 치은염
Pregnancy hormones make gums react far more strongly to the same amount of plaque, so bleeding and swelling appear even with unchanged brushing habits. It affects a majority of pregnancies, peaks in the second trimester, and dental treatment during pregnancy is safe — deferring it is the greater risk.
🦷 Tooth Decay & Pulp 5
Dental Caries (Cavities)
충치
Cavities are holes created by acid from bacteria feeding on sugar. Decay confined to enamel can sometimes be arrested without drilling; once it reaches dentin, the tooth structure is gone permanently and must be filled. Pain appears late — usually only after the decay is already deep.
Pulpitis
치수염
Pulpitis is inflammation of the nerve and blood vessels inside a tooth. Reversible pulpitis can settle after the cause is removed; irreversible pulpitis requires root canal treatment. The distinguishing test is simple — whether pain stops within seconds of removing the trigger, or lingers.
Periapical Lesion
치근단 병소
A periapical lesion is an area of infection and bone destruction at the tip of a tooth root, caused by bacteria escaping from a dead pulp. It is usually found on a radiograph as a dark shadow — often in a tooth that no longer hurts at all.
Dental Pulp
치수
The pulp is the living tissue at the centre of a tooth — nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. It is what makes a tooth feel temperature and pain. A tooth survives without it, but becomes more brittle and loses its ability to warn you of problems.
Tooth Discoloration
치아 변색
Discoloration is either extrinsic (stains on the surface, removable by cleaning) or intrinsic (colour change within the tooth, which cleaning cannot touch). A single tooth that darkens is a different problem entirely — it usually signals a dead pulp and needs examination, not whitening.
⚡ Cracks & Trauma 2
Cracked Tooth Syndrome
치아 균열
Cracked tooth syndrome is pain from a crack that has not yet split the tooth apart. The signature complaint is a sharp jolt on releasing a bite rather than on pressing down, often with sensitivity to cold, and the crack is frequently invisible on radiographs. It is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed dental problems, and left alone the crack propagates until the tooth splits or the pulp becomes infected.
Tooth Fracture
치아 파절
A tooth fracture is a break in the tooth structure, ranging from a chipped enamel corner needing only smoothing to a root fracture requiring extraction. The single factor that determines treatment is depth: whether the break stops in enamel, reaches dentin, exposes the pulp, or extends below the gum. If a whole tooth has been knocked out, keep it moist and get to a dentist within the hour.
🌱 Wisdom & Eruption 4
Wisdom Tooth
사랑니
Wisdom teeth are the third molars, usually appearing between ages 17 and 25, and there is often not enough jaw room for them. They matter because a partially erupted or angled wisdom tooth traps bacteria and damages the healthy second molar in front of it. Not all need removal — a fully erupted, cleanable, upright wisdom tooth can stay. Positioning, not the mere presence of the tooth, decides.
Impacted Tooth
매복치
An impacted tooth is one that has failed to erupt into position and remains held in bone or gum past its expected timing. Third molars are impacted most often, followed by upper canines. It matters because an impacted tooth can resorb the roots of neighbouring teeth or form a cyst, both silently. Management ranges from monitoring to surgical exposure with orthodontic traction to removal.
Supernumerary Tooth
과잉치
A supernumerary tooth is an extra tooth beyond the normal count of 20 primary or 32 permanent teeth. The most common type is a mesiodens, sitting between the two upper front teeth, and it is usually found on a routine childhood radiograph before it causes any complaint. It matters because it can block or deflect the permanent incisors, and early detection generally means simpler treatment.
Primary Teeth (Baby Teeth)
유치
Primary teeth are the 20 first teeth, erupting from around six months and shed between six and twelve years. The most damaging misconception in paediatric dentistry is that they do not matter because they fall out anyway. They hold space for the permanent teeth, guide their eruption, and an infected primary tooth can damage the permanent tooth developing directly beneath it.
😬 Bite & Jaw 4
Malocclusion
부정교합
Malocclusion means the teeth and jaws do not meet in a functional relationship — crowding, spacing, overbite, underbite, crossbite, or open bite. It is not only an appearance question: an uneven bite concentrates force on individual teeth, creates areas that cannot be cleaned, and contributes to wear, fracture, and gum disease. Some types are best corrected during growth, others can be treated at any age.
Bruxism (Teeth Grinding)
이갈이
Bruxism is involuntary grinding or clenching of the teeth, most often during sleep and usually without the person being aware of it. Night-time forces greatly exceed normal chewing forces, which is why bruxism is a leading cause of flattened teeth, cracked molars, failed restorations, and morning jaw pain. It cannot be cured outright, but the damage is largely preventable with protection.
TMJ Disorder (TMD)
턱관절 장애
TMJ disorder covers pain and dysfunction of the jaw joint and the muscles that move it, presenting as jaw pain, clicking, limited opening, and frequently headaches or ear discomfort. Most cases are muscular rather than structural and improve with conservative care. Irreversible treatment — grinding down teeth or surgery — should not be a first step, and rarely needs to be.
TMJ Clicking
턱에서 소리
A clicking or popping jaw usually means the disc inside the joint is slipping out of position and snapping back as you open. Painless clicking with a full range of movement is common and generally does not require treatment. What matters is a change: clicking that becomes painful, or clicking that stops and is replaced by limited opening, which needs prompt assessment.
👄 Mouth & Tongue 6
Halitosis (Bad Breath)
구취
Halitosis is persistent bad breath, and in roughly 85 to 90 percent of cases the source is inside the mouth rather than the stomach. The commonest single site is the back of the tongue, where bacteria break down proteins into volatile sulphur compounds. Because it is a bacterial and often mechanical problem, mouthwash and mints mask it briefly while doing nothing about the cause.
Stomatitis
구내염
Stomatitis means inflammation of the mouth lining, most commonly appearing as painful ulcers. Ordinary aphthous ulcers are round, shallow, with a white-yellow base and a red rim, and heal within about two weeks without scarring. The important rule is duration: any ulcer that has not healed in three weeks should be examined rather than treated at home.
Geographic Tongue
지도설
Geographic tongue is a benign condition in which smooth red patches with slightly raised white borders appear on the tongue surface, changing shape and position over days so that the pattern resembles a map. It is harmless, is not an infection, and is not associated with cancer. No treatment is needed unless there is discomfort, and the main clinical value is confident reassurance.
Oral Thrush
구강 칸디다증
Oral thrush is an overgrowth of Candida, normally a harmless resident of the mouth. The classic form shows creamy white plaques that can be wiped away leaving a red, sometimes bleeding surface underneath. Because Candida overgrows when conditions change rather than when it is newly acquired, the crucial question is always what allowed it — inhaled steroids, dry mouth, dentures, antibiotics, or an undiagnosed medical condition.
Leukoplakia
백반증
Leukoplakia is a white patch on the mouth lining that cannot be wiped off and cannot be attributed to any other identifiable cause. It is classified as a potentially malignant disorder, meaning a minority of cases progress to cancer over time, which is why any white patch persisting beyond three weeks needs professional examination rather than watchful waiting at home.
Oral Cancer
구강암
Oral cancer is malignancy of the lips, tongue, floor of the mouth, cheek lining, gums, or palate, most often squamous cell carcinoma. Early lesions are frequently painless, which is why they are missed. The most useful single rule for the public is that any ulcer, white or red patch, or lump persisting beyond three weeks needs professional examination — early detection changes outcomes dramatically.
🔬 Tooth Anatomy 4
Tooth Enamel
법랑질
Enamel is the outermost layer of the tooth and the hardest tissue in the human body, roughly 96 percent mineral. It contains no living cells, which is the single most important fact about it: once enamel is lost it does not grow back. Early demineralisation can be reversed with fluoride and mineral, but an actual cavity or a worn surface requires restoration.
Dentin
상아질
Dentin is the layer beneath the enamel, softer and roughly 70 percent mineral, and it makes up the bulk of the tooth. It is riddled with microscopic tubules containing fluid and cell processes connected to the pulp, which is why exposed dentin produces sensitivity. Unlike enamel, dentin has a limited capacity to respond and lay down new protective layers.
Alveolar Bone
치조골
Alveolar bone is the specialised bone forming the sockets that hold the teeth. Its defining characteristic is that it exists because of the teeth: it develops as they erupt and resorbs when they are lost. This is why extracted sites shrink, why timing matters for implant planning, and why bone loss from periodontal disease is the mechanism by which teeth eventually loosen.
Periodontal Ligament
치주인대
The periodontal ligament is the thin band of fibrous tissue connecting the tooth root to the surrounding bone. It is not a rigid cement joint but a living shock absorber with its own nerve and blood supply. It is what lets you sense bite pressure, what makes orthodontic tooth movement possible, and what an implant does not have.
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