If you’re worried about the state of your gums, you aren’t alone. It’s been reported that over half of British adults experience gum disease during their lifetime. Gum disease can occur for a whole host of reasons and so you shouldn’t feel embarrassed or worried if you’ve fallen victim to it. And what’s more is if it’s caught early it’s very easy to treat. Here’s all you need to know to fight gum disease.
What causes gum disease?
For the most part gum disease is caused by a poor oral hygiene routine. Oral hygiene covers various topics including brushing, and regular check-ups with your dentist St John’s Wood. When we don’t get a good clean done twice daily, food debris can build up on the gum line of our teeth and cause plaque and tartar to form. This then causes the body to fight back, sending blood to the area and causing inflammation. Over time this worsens to cause pockets in the gums and spreads to infect the tooth’s core and bone, eventually leading to tooth loss – which is why it’s so important to manage it.
What are the signs of gum disease?
Early signs of gum disease include red, inflamed and bleeding gums. You could also be experiencing a weird taste in your mouth, that your tongue feels strange, or that you have bad breath all the time. If you do have any of these symptoms the best thing to do is to visit your dentist who will be able to check over all your tooth and gum health.
How is gum disease fixed?
You’ll likely be asked by your dentist to book in to see the hygienist. A hygienist is a particular type of dental professional who specialises in looking after people’s gum and teeth health. Unlike a dentist, they just look at cleaning teeth and work with patients to find a solution to keeping their teeth healthy long term.
What’s involved in a hygienist clean?
A hygienist has special tools to get the tartar and plaque out from the gum line of your teeth. They will work round every section of the patient’s mouth making sure to remove all the bad bacteria build-up they can. Then they’ll polish the surface of the teeth with wax, giving back a natural glow. This is a really popular treatment, as lots of people often feel it whitens their teeth back up.
Post treatment
A big part of curing gum disease long term is in the hands of the individual. Your dentist and hygienist will probably talk you through lots of ways in which to take better care of your oral health. This could include better brushing, flossing etc. These things, although time consuming, make a huge difference to the overall health of your teeth and gums. Gum disease to begin with isn’t anything to worry about, but over time can lead to serious health problems and as already mentioned, tooth loss. So don’t wait, and find a dentist near you to go for a quick gum health check-up.
