This winter, we’re determined to get rid of gum disease for good and we’re encouraging all our patients to keep up to date with regular check-ups and take steps at home to reduce the risk of periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease is an advanced form of gum disease that causes irreversible damage to the gums and affects the stability of the teeth. Periodontal disease affects the bone tissue, which holds the teeth in place, eventually causing them to come loose. Periodontal disease usually develops when gingivitis, a mild form of gum disease, is left untreated.
What causes gum disease?
Gum disease is caused by harmful bacteria that release plaque acids that irritate the gums and result in them becoming sore, swollen and tender. Plaque acids are released by bacteria, which gather in the mouth as a result of poor oral hygiene. The risk of gum disease is also increased by smoking. Diet can also increase the risk of developing gum disease and we strongly recommend a healthy, balanced diet and avoiding consumption of sugary and acidic foods and drinks on a regular basis.
Preventing gum disease
Good oral hygiene is the best form of defence against harmful bacteria and we recommend brushing twice a day for at least 2 minutes each time, flossing and using inter-dental brushes. We also advise patients to stick to regular 6 monthly check-ups and to be vigilant for the warning signs of gum disease. Symptoms to look out for include inflammation, soreness and redness in the gums and bleeding gums. Advanced symptoms include an unpleasant taste in the mouth, loose teeth and the development of pockets between the teeth and gums. We also encourage our patients to keep an eye on their sugar intake.
If you notice any signs of gum disease, it’s really important to see your dentist as early as you can. Leaving gum disease untreated increases the risk of it becoming more serious and causing permanent damage to your teeth and gums.
When it comes to gum disease, it’s really beneficial to be aware of the danger signs, as mild gum disease can quickly become more advanced. Seeing your dentist as soon as you notice symptoms can help to prevent the problem from becoming more serious and ensure that you don’t have to endure painful and sore gums.
Spotting the warning signs of gum disease
The most common symptoms of mild gum disease, which is also known as gingivitis, include swollen and sore gums and bleeding when you clean your teeth. As gum disease becomes more advanced, symptoms tend to become more apparent and include redness, inflammation, pain and tenderness. In advanced cases, the gums recede and pockets develop between the teeth and gums.
What should I do if I think I have gum disease?
If your gums are sore or swollen or you notice blood when you brush your teeth, call us and arrange an appointment. If you do have gum disease, it’s best to treat it as early as possible to prevent it from becoming more severe. Mild gum disease is relatively easy to treat, but advanced gum disease causes irreversible damage to the bone structure that holds the teeth in place, meaning that they eventually come loose.
How can I prevent gum disease?
The best way of lowering your chances of developing gum disease is to maintain good oral hygiene. Your daily oral hygiene regime should include brushing and flossing. You should aim to brush every morning and every evening for at least 2 minutes each time, using fluoride toothpaste. Flossing daily will help to remove bacteria and any leftover bits of food from the spaces between your teeth and ensure that your gum line is clean. We also recommend seeing a dentist every 6 months for a check-up and visiting our amazing dental hygienists.
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a common oral health condition, which can result in early tooth loss if left untreated. Periodontal disease is an advanced form of gum disease; the less serious form is known as gingivitis.
Signs of gum disease
Many people first notice the signs of gum disease when they clean their teeth. Bleeding gums is one of the most noticeable symptoms of gum disease; other symptoms may include swelling, tenderness and redness of the gums. When gingivitis becomes more advanced, this is known as periodontal disease. At this stage, gum disease causes permanent damage to the mouth, as the infection has spread to the bone structure beneath the gums. The bone is responsible for holding and anchoring the teeth, and once this is affected, the teeth start to become loose and may eventually fall out. Signs of advanced gum disease include the development of pockets between the teeth and gums, an unpleasant taste in the mouth and loose teeth.
How is periodontal disease detected?
Periodontal disease can usually be detected by dentists through the identification of visible symptoms during a thorough examination of the mouth.
How is periodontal disease treated?
Gingivitis can usually be treated with good oral hygiene, but periodontal disease requires a much more careful approach and treatment usually takes place over a prolonged period of time. The aim of treatment is to restrict the amount of damage, prevent further infection and ease pain and swelling. Dentists work with dental hygienists to maintain good oral hygiene, remove harmful bacteria from the mouth and try to limit the spread of infection and reduce the risk of abscesses. Intensive hygiene treatments, such as scale and polish and root planing are used and regular sessions with both the dentist and dental hygienist are recommended.
There are some very serious conditions that threaten your oral health and periodontal disease is just one of them; it is often thought of as gum disease, but it is more like gum disease plus one. Everything starts with plaque; it will soon harden into tartar if left alone, then it will infect the gums and induce decay into the teeth. The early signs of periodontal disease can be bleeding gums or severe toothache and you need to act fast in order to stop this going any further. You may well require a filling or a root canal; you will also need to address your lifestyle- your habits, and improve your oral hygiene if you want to avoid gum disease. If you do nothing about any of this, the decay will destroy the inside of your teeth and the gums will start to recede and peel away from the surfaces of the teeth, and both will improve the odds of abscesses breaking out…and it gets worse. The bacteria will then obliterate the gums and cause the bone below the teeth to decay, ending with your teeth falling out. If periodontal disease gets to this stage, recovery will involve tissue and bone grafts and apart from being painfully complex, it will be painfully expensive too. For more advice about the dangers of periodontal disease and how to avoid it, give Clifton Dental of Bristol a call; they operate around the Chepstow area and are experts in this field of dentistry.
As the Clifton dental studio of Bristol can tell you in Bath, there are some very serious conditions that can pop up in your mouth that will not only threaten your oral health, but also see you end up losing your teeth and with all these diseases, they all have the same starting point- plaque. If this is allowed to get a footing in your mouth it will start to eat away at your teeth and infect your gums. Now you are running the gauntlet of tooth decay and gum disease and if the problem is still allowed to flourish, it will then go beyond your teeth and start to eat away at your jaw bones- a condition known as periodontal disease. This is pretty much as bad as it can get in your mouth and it will lead to tooth loss. However, it can be treated, but it won’t be easy. Your teeth and their roots must first be cleared of any infection; this will take root canal treatment and some very deep cleaning below the gum line to remove any signs of the infection in your jaws. In some cases, you may require tissue and bone grafts to solve the problem and this is one hell of an operation to perform. But it can be done and is the only way of stopping periodontal disease from running riot. It will also take a lot of discipline from you as well and you will have to turn your life around, improve your diet and put a stop to the bad habits that got you to this stage in the first place.
Gum disease is clinically known as periodontal disease and it encompasses the two main types of gum disease that are most common: gingivitis and periodontitis. Dentists are expert at treating these afflictions but they much prefer to prevent them before they occur. Gum disease is no trifling matter and, in the most grievous of cases, can lead to teeth being permanently lost.
Gums are very sensitive to plaque and the substance needs to be cleared away from gums with the same urgency that one removes it from teeth. The problem with plaque is that it causes gums to become inflamed and that is where the problems can start from. A basic inflammation of the gums is called gingivitis and it is pretty common in the United Kingdom. Indeed, it is thought that a significant number of people have suffered and are suffering from it without even knowing about.
The symptoms can be mild: a little sensitivity to hot and cold substances which are consumed, slight reddening and so on. But it is what comes afterwards that really must be avoided. Periodontitis is what happens when the inflammation takes hold and spreads to the bones which hold teeth in place. Teeth appear to lengthen in cases of periodontitis as the gums start to recede. It will probably be no surprise to note that tooth loss can then happen.
Your Bath dentist can help you stop gum disease before it even starts. By making sure you brush and floss twice a day you should be ensuring that plaque is removed before it can cause problems for your gums. Ask for advice about what is the best way to do this.
Oral hygiene, in any home in Bath, is imperative to fight off diseases in the mouth that can lead to further complications throughout your whole body. What you should be aware of that it is essential to avoid the buildup of plaque in the mouth; good brushing and flossing regularly, and a visit to your dentist should get you round this threat. Plaque forms when bacteria are left to breed on the teeth. This quickly forms tartar around the base of the gums- something that can’t be removed by brushing. In turn, this forms acids on the enamel of the teeth causing tooth decay to set in and more dangerously, causes gum disease- a problem linked to organ failure throughout the body, especially heart disease. The first time you may become aware that you have a problem (because it is a painless process at first), is when your gums bleed after brushing, or swell, or that you have a bad taste in the mouth. Caught early, the problem is easily rectified by your dentist, but in an advanced stage, treatment can get very complex indeed, involving gum and bone grafting. Periontontitis can get out of hand very quickly, so you need to be aware of the signs and in close contact with your dentist if you have any fears.
There are a number of good reasons to visit your dentist every six months for a check up. The fact is that your dentist knows a great deal about teeth and gums and can help you look after your mouth. The main reason to visit him or her is so that any nasty condition which is developing can be spotted, diagnosed and then treated before it gets worse. When it comes to the health of your mouth, most of the conditions which can affect it are not that serious in and of themselves but they need to be dealt with because further down the line, real problems can result.
This is especially true of periodontal disease, commonly just known as gum disease. Gum disease is rife in the United Kingdom and many people simply aren’t aware that they even have it. Greater sensitivity when you eat or drink hot or cold foods, or reddening of the gums, might mean that you have gingivitis, the most basic form of gum disease.
It’s nothing to worry about as long as your dentist diagnoses it early. It can be dealt with by some special formulated mouth washes and in some cases antibiotics are prescribed. Usually it is just a case of refining your oral hygiene routine by brushing more effectively and flossing.
If gingivitis is left to progress it can become periodontitis, which is a very serious proposition indeed. Periodontitis is the reason why one can say that gum disease is a leading cause of tooth loss, more so than dental decay itself. It involved the inflammation of the gums spreading to the bones which hold the teeth in place. It’s as painful as it sounds and ought to be avoided by regular visits to your Bath dentist so he or she can keep a close eye on the state of your gums.
Although teeth seem to receive far more attention, it is vital that you look after your gums with just as much care and attention. In fact gum disease causes more tooth loss than tooth decay itself. And if gum disease is allowed to progress then it can turn into something far worse.
If you have gingivitis – the most common and basic form of gum disease – your gums will be rather swollen and red. You might experience extra sensitivity when eating or drinking hot or cold substances and may even be prone to bleeding. Gingivitis is not that serious in itself, more inconvenient than anything, but it is vital to nip it in the bud so it does not progress into periodontal disease.
Periodontitis is always preceded by gingivitis and it is a serious condition. It involves the inflammation of the bones which hold the teeth in place. Chronic pain will ensue as your gums swell and bleed, more severely than with gingivitis. The gums can then recede, making it appear as if your teeth are lengthening. Tooth loss is the eventual outcome as the inflamed bone and receded gums become unsuitable for holding your teeth in place.
Periodontitis is usually the result of a period of poor oral hygiene. If enough plaque builds up on the gum line of teeth and gingivitis is not reversed then periodontitis can occur. Plaque will harden into tartar which can only be removed by dental professionals.
Periodontal disease is just another reason to visit your Weston-Super-Mare dentist regularly. They can monitor your mouth and ensure that if you have a touch of gingivitis then it is dealt with before it can get any worse.
Gum or periodontal disease is the bane of us all; it causes not just discomfort and pain, but also an embarrassing smile. The good news is that it can stopped in its tracks and slowed down; although a cure is not possible once the damage has been done. A Weston-Super-Mare dentist is advising his patients that a better oral hygiene regime may well be the answer. The disease starts when bad bacteria gets into cuts and abrasions on the gums, this is caused by acid build up which is a by-product of the bacteria feeding off the food residue that gets trapped in gaps between the teeth. Saliva is produced to neutralise the acid, but that can often be insufficient when our saliva glands stop working. This is something that happens when we are asleep or have a build up of sugar in the blood, this is what diabetics suffer from and one of the signs is a dry mouth. You don’t have to be diabetic to get the symptoms of a dry mouth, it is caused by many other factors, however they all have the same consequences and that’s saliva deficiency. Once gum disease takes control the gums will swell up and soften, this allows vigorous brushing to leave cuts and infection will set in. Abscesses and tooth ache will follow and then the exposed gum line will allow tartar build up on the exposed root of the tooth, this will weaken the tooth and it will eventually break off. A good regime of oral hygiene care will not cure the problem, but it will go a long way to preventing further damage. Our teeth are our biggest asset and it is important that we do all we can to make them last, a simple change in oral care is all that it often needs.
Dr Gerrard is a Bristol based Cosmetic dentist with many years of experience and is one of only a small number of dentists accredited by The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
There are some very serious conditions that threaten your oral health and periodontal disease is just one of them; it is often thought of as gum disease, but it is more like gum disease plus one. Everything starts with plaque; it will soon harden into tartar if left alone, then it will infect the gums and induce decay into the teeth. The early signs of periodontal disease can be bleeding gums or severe toothache and you need to act fast in order to stop this going any further. You may well require a filling or a root canal; you will also need to address your lifestyle- your habits, and improve your oral hygiene if you want to avoid gum disease. If you do nothing about any of this, the decay will destroy the inside of your teeth and the gums will start to recede and peel away from the surfaces of the teeth, and both will improve the odds of abscesses breaking out…and it gets worse. The bacteria will then obliterate the gums and cause the bone below the teeth to decay, ending with your teeth falling out. If periodontal disease gets to this stage, recovery will involve tissue and bone grafts and apart from being painfully complex, it will be painfully expensive too. For more advice about the dangers of periodontal disease and how to avoid it, give Clifton Dental of Bristol a call; they operate around the Chepstow area and are experts in this field of dentistry.
