Gum Disease And How To Treat It
Gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults. It is caused by a build up of plaque, which is a film of bacteria, around the necks of the teeth along the gum margin. This plaque can harden to form tartar or calculus. If left for more than a day the plaque will irritate the gums which become inflamed. This is called gingivitis.
Key signs of gum disease:
|
> Red, swollen gums,
> Bleeding gums when you eat or brush your teeth, > Bad breath This condition is entirely reversible and can be corrected with proper tooth brushing and cleaning between the teeth. We can book you an appointment with a dental health educator to give you more advice about this. You may also need a visit to our hygienist to remove the hard deposits of tartar. |
Gingivitis: Gum tissue is inflamed and bleeds when brushed
Severe Periodontitis: Supporting gum tissues have deteriorated; tooth loosens.
In some people this gingivitis can
spread down between the tooth and
gum and destroy the bone and
attachment between the teeth and
gums and is called periodontitis.
Though usually painless, this is a
more serious condition which can lead to the loss of the teeth.
Smoking often makes the destruction more aggressive and more difficult to treat.
The aim of treatment is to prevent this occurring or at least to slow the progress of the disease down, by removing the plaque and scale.
Proper tooth brushing and cleaning between the teeth by yourself is essential if the treatment and control of your condition is going to succeed, and we will spend some time in giving you advice on this. It is unlikely that we will spend a lot of time cleaning your teeth until you have been able to demonstrate that you are able to clean them adequately yourself.
The deep scaling of your teeth may involve several visits to the hygienist.
The teeth are sometimes sensitive after scaling. This is because the root surface which was covered by scale is suddenly exposed to your food, drink and cold air. This change in temperature at the root surface causes the sensitivity and it usually disappears after a few days. Desensitising tooth pastes often help, but if it persists please return to the surgery as we have several other methods of desensitisation available.
Smoking often makes the destruction more aggressive and more difficult to treat.
The aim of treatment is to prevent this occurring or at least to slow the progress of the disease down, by removing the plaque and scale.
Proper tooth brushing and cleaning between the teeth by yourself is essential if the treatment and control of your condition is going to succeed, and we will spend some time in giving you advice on this. It is unlikely that we will spend a lot of time cleaning your teeth until you have been able to demonstrate that you are able to clean them adequately yourself.
The deep scaling of your teeth may involve several visits to the hygienist.
The teeth are sometimes sensitive after scaling. This is because the root surface which was covered by scale is suddenly exposed to your food, drink and cold air. This change in temperature at the root surface causes the sensitivity and it usually disappears after a few days. Desensitising tooth pastes often help, but if it persists please return to the surgery as we have several other methods of desensitisation available.
