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.
Bad breath is the worse thing we experience first thing in the morning, much of which is brought on by what we have eaten and drunk the night before. When we drink too much alcohol we also tend to forget to clean and floss our teeth, which just adds to the problem. This can make our breath have a bad smell all day says a dentist from Chepstow. Drinking a half litre of water at night will help to keep down our acid production while we sleep, our saliva gland stops working as we sleep and so acid builds up. This produces plaque and that will attach itself to the inner part of any crevice in the mouth, as well as the tongue. Spicy food and drink isn’t just the problem here though, a lax regime in oral care is the biggest enemy of good clean breath. If we don’t floss and brush properly then we are banging our heads against a brick wall. Brushing is very important and it needs to be done properly with the right brush and stroking method, flossing is even more important as it not only removes the morning plaque, but it also helps to prevent a build up of tartar. Tartar is that rough edged substance that we can feel with our tongue when we are feeling around the back of the teeth; it is usually removed by a dentist when we have our half yearly check up. It is better to prevent the build up as it only adds to the problem of bad breath. Bad breath can also be a sign of diabetes and liver disease, so if it persists even though you are following all the advice go and consult a doctor. Oral hygiene advice is free at the dentist; see your surgery hygiene nurse.
The worse problem with a periodontal disease such as Gingivitis is that it is often left too long before we start to seek treatment. Whenever gum disease treatment is left for another day the condition can only go one way, and that causes the condition to worsen over time. This will always end in tears, and in the worse case scenarios it will also end up with a much more serious condition. However, advanced gum disease treatment is easily avoidable if the problem is seen to by a dentist, and before it spreads to the area above the gum line. A dentist will generally scrape away the tartar that is a build up of bacteria which likes to congregate around the teeth’s roots, and in between them. There is no cure for gum disease as once it sets in it will cause irreparable damage. It is never too late to start a good regime of oral hygiene care though, even when the damage has been done and the gum line is eaten away. The good news is that although it isn’t curable gum disease can successfully be kept in touch, and healthy teeth can be brought back to a state of top condition. It is highly recommended that once the first signs of gum disease are noticed an appointment is made with your dentist, it is so important to catch any gum disease before too much of the gum line is lost; infections in the gum can leak into the blood stream and cause other problems with platelet production. This has been researched heavily, and the results indicate a link between heart disease and gum disease. So we can now see that getting gum disease treated early on in the process will prevent a lot more problems than just our oral care ones.
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
