Have you ever wondered what we could do to help with your bleeding gums? Read on to find out more about Gum disease Treatment:

Are you suffering from any of the below symptoms?!

Then you may HAVE or be at RISK of GUM DISEASE!

Gum Disease, otherwise known as Periodontal disease is defined as inflammation of the gums.

If left untreated, gum disease may cause teeth to become loose and therefore result in tooth loss….😱🦷

Attending to 6 monthly maintenance visits, in conjunction with at home oral hygiene eliminates your risk of developing gum disease.

Causes:

Smoking or vaping – Smoking or using tobacco products increases the risk of gum infections and hinders the healing process.
Poor Oral Hygiene -bad brushing and flossing habits.
Unhealthy diet – Diets high in sugars and carbohydrates contribute to plaque formation, fuelling gum infections.
Genetics
Medical conditions such as immune disorders or diabetes
Medications

Possible Gum disease Treatment:

Professional Dental clean
Antibiotics
Dental Mouth Wash
Good Dental Hygiene (such as good brushing and flossing habits)
Seeing a gum specialist – Periodontist

*In cases where significant bone loss accompanies the gum infection, additional intervention for gum treatment may become necessary.

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What is Gum Disease?

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease/periodontitis is a chronic infection of the gums and bone around the tooth. This results in bone loss around the tooth root.

Signs of gum disease (not a definitive list):

Loose teeth
Sensitive teeth
Gum recession
Teeth appearing ‘longer’
Bleeding around gums
Teeth moving or ‘coming out of gums more’
More food getting stuck around the gums and in between teeth

Some of these symptoms can also mean other problems so don’t self-diagnose!

Risk factors for gum disease

Smoking
Diabetes
Mouth breathing
- This dries your mouth out and the natural protection that saliva offers is reduced. Also the plaque becomes dried out and more difficult to clean.

Ways to reduce your risk

Cleaning well
Brushing 2x day
Flossing/Interdental brushes daily
Get a regular check-up and clean at the dentist. If you are at high risk, you may need this done every 3 months
Stop smoking
Get your general health under control (especially diabetes managed well)

What do I do if I have gum disease?

The key with treatment of gum disease is that there is no quick cure. It is something that requires ongoing management.

There are many treatment options and as with anything, the key is to come in as soon as possible for treatment. The longer you wait, the more likely it will become severe and you will end up losing teeth.

The treatment you require really depends on the severity of the gum disease. Usually you will need a full measurement of your gum and bone height + a full mouth X-ray (called an OPG). Subsequently, we perform a deep clean called ‘Root-planing’. This is done under a local anaesthetic so we can clean under the gums well and return the tooth to a healthy state.

After this, we need to review your gums and see if it is responding to treatment. If it is healing well, we monitor you every 3 months and do a check-up and clean. It is very important to maintain this otherwise it will worsen.

If things are not stable- we may need to look at gum surgery or other interventions.

Gum disease is something that can lie dormant with no symptoms for a long time so ensure you get your teeth checked regularly to avoid losing teeth!