Gum disease- the evil that rears its ugly head throughout Swindon day after day. It generally comes from the way you look after your teeth at home: do it well with all the best products that are out there and yippee, you’ll be well on your way to caring for your teeth, but be warned, slip up and you will be opening a portal to hell in your mouth. Gum disease can be a bitch of a problem to fight and even harder to recover from if it gets its feet under the table- and you should be aware of the danger signs such as bleeding or weeping gums. If you are suffering from this then get your butt down to the dentist as soon as you can. Good oral hygiene is a way to navigate such turbulent seas and make sure that that your teeth are free and clean from the threat of bacteria. It may also take a big change in the way you go about your ways with your diet- cut out the exuberances and give you mouth a chance to breathe. And then, throw anything herbal at it because you put the zest back into your gums. But here’s another warning: gum disease can not only threaten the health of your mouth and cause your teeth to fall out, but it can also cause the heart, and other organs to fail in the long term in your body if allowed to run riot.
Gum disease is a killer in Swindon for the body and for the teeth. Essentially, once the gums become infected so does the blood and over a sustained period of time, can lead to the breakdown of the important organs in the body such as the heart, liver and kidneys; of course it can also lead to tooth loss. But it also can be stopped and in some cases reversed. Most severe cases may require surgery at the dentist that entails bone and gum grafting, lesser cases can be solved with pocket cleaning around the gums and deep scaling. But really the problem is solved in the home; obvious initial answers are the methods we employ to clean our teeth on a daily basis, brushing, flossing, mouthwashes, etc, though if the disease has set in, it may more than just a normal oral hygiene program to remedy the problem. The disease has been linked quite strongly to diabetes, smoking, stress, diet and deficiencies of vitamin c and d in our diets. All of these should be addressed, by seeking professional help before the problem of the disease can be remedied, then its back home again to tackle it on your own again. Many dentists are recognizing the value of natural solutions such as the soothing qualities of cranberry juice and herbal remedies such as tea tree oil, aloe vera and clove oil that readdress the imbalance in the gums, making the blood flow again around the teeth and helping them to regenerate.
We’d all like to see our days out in Weston-super-mare with our teeth in place, but one of the greatest threats posed to our teeth is gum disease. Many dentists can help this problem by doing what they know best and can help in aiding the threat. It’s important that the jaw bone that houses the teeth are kept free from infection otherwise the problem becomes incurable. Regular visits and deep cleaning around the gums can thwart gum disease, but seeing as the average person only visits the dentist twice a year, it’s pretty much down to all of us as individuals too look after ourselves with a high level of oral hygiene. The first signs of the problem are bleeding gums- an immediate consultation with the dentist should be sought to assess the depth of the problem- then its self preservation time. Regular cleaning and flossing can help to prevent the build up of bacteria in the mouth, mouthwashes and rinsing with warm salty water can also help, but its what you brush with and the products that you use that are important at this stage so you should ensure you get the right brush and paste for maximum effect. Smokers and diabetics are also at high risk, as are people with poor diets to the threat of gum disease. However, when your gums fist become infected, they need to be calmed before you start an intense cleaning program; herbal remedies are excellent for this and products such as aloe-vera and tea tree oil are excellent for giving back the gums some status quo.
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.
Gum disease affects a great number of adults in the United Kingdom, many of whom are not even aware that they have the condition. If it is caught early and dealt with then it is not a big deal and your mouth can easily return to excellent health, but failure to do so can have difficult and painful consequences for the health of your mouth.
Understanding what causes gum disease is helpful in attempting to beat the condition. Just like your teeth, gums need to be kept free from plaque. This acidic substance that is formed when we eat and drink, causes gums to become inflamed. Early stages of inflammation are known clinically as gingivitis. This is where your gums start to become a little redder and might be slightly sensitive either when you are brushing or eating or drinking things that are extreme temperatures.
The good news is that even if gingivitis has taken hold, it is easy to reverse the effects. If your Swindon dentist determines that you have gingivitis he or she will usually simply advise you to tighten up your home routine of looking after your mouth. It might be that you need to brush more effectively or get into the habit of flossing. In some cases a course of antibiotics is prescribed. Either of these measures will usually be enough to get your mouth back to rude health.
The alternative to sorting out gingivitis is allowing it to progress into periodontitis. This most advanced form of gum disease is extremely painful, will require treatment and is best avoided. In such cases the inflammation spreads to the bones in your jaw that hold your teeth in place. Tooth loss becomes a real possibility as your gums begin to recede dangerously.
For too many people, looking after their gums is just an afterthought. The evidence of this is the high rates of gum disease that there are amongst United Kingdom adults. But taking care of your gums should be just as important as looking after your teeth. It is not difficult to do so but failure to carry it out properly can lead to patients actually losing teeth.
Your gums are a vital part of your mouth, a sensitive tissue which helps to hold your teeth in place effectively. They can become diseased if there is too much plaque in the mouth and it is not adequately removed. Just as plaque makes teeth decay by wearing down the enamel, it makes gums become inflamed.
You can spot the signs of basic gum disease – your dentist might call it gingivitis – easily. Your gums ought to be a nice, healthy shade of pink but if they are starting to become inflamed they will be noticeably redder. You can look out for this is the mirror when you are brushing your teeth. You may also find that your mouth is generally more sensitive to hold or cold food and drink like tea or ice cream.
The key to taking great care of your gums is not just to brush your teeth well but also to floss. Plaque just loves to hide between your teeth and if it is left on the gum line it will eventually lead to gingivitis. Go and see your Weston-Super-Mare dentist every six months too so that they can keep a close eye on how your teeth and gums are doing. Treating gum disease in the early stages is usually quick and easy.
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.
It’s always been thought that gum disease in Swindon is not reversible and to a point, that’s true- there is no cure that will make your gums magically grow back. But it can be stopped dead in its tracks and new life injected into the gums that have been damaged. In its infancy, gum disease can be prevented by a good oral hygiene agenda and by having any plaque and tartar removed by your dentist through either having deep scaling or by having bacteria removed from within the roots; antibiotics can also check the progress of gum disease. However if the problem is more pronounced, root canals and crowns, surgery in the form of bone grafts or, in the case of tooth loss, dental implants can be used to keep the gums healthy. It’s been said over and over again that prevention is better than cure. As well as attentive oral hygiene and getting in-deep and personal with your gums by using balms and herbal remedies, diet plays an important part in ‘reversing’ gum disease. Acidic foods and sugars are a bacteria’s best friend so being wary of what you eat and being sure to remove it afterwards, should suffice. But a good diet will also help build up your immune system and help naturally in the fight against gum disease. If you’ve got it, it may require a lifestyle change and you being more attentive towards your mouth, but boy, it’s worth it in the end…that’s if you care for your teeth and body.
There are many factors that contribute to gum disease in Weston-super-mare- diet, medication, smoking and poor oral hygiene being among them. But whatever has caused the problem, it’s imperative that it is addressed as soon as possible, for aside from gum disease leading to tooth decay and loss, it is also considered to be the cause behind more life threatening issues such as abscesses, heart disease, diabetes and blood poisoning. Any dentist will advocate a regular, daily program of oral hygiene and there are a lot of products out there to do the job. This is to ensure the removal of plaque and tartar- the main cause of gum disease. But take your eye off the ball and suddenly you have problems and that’s where your dentist comes in. A dentist can remove plaque and tartar but once gum disease has got its claws in, it takes a lot more work and effort to stop it advancing any further. A deep scale and polish can ensure the teeth are super-clean, but sometimes root planning may be required to remove bacteria from the roots themselves. Worse of all, it may take surgery followed by antibiotics to solve the problem. If you do your homework along with your dentist, you’ll also find a lot of herbal remedies around to help your cause.
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.
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
