Causes | Development | Symptoms | Treatments | Maintenance
Do you know your risk of Gum Disease and how to spot symptoms early?
Gum disease is caused by a build up of plaque and calculus on your teeth, which contains bacteria that can lead to inflammation and infection in your gums.
In severe cases, gum disease causes bone recession, pain, and tooth loss.
Early stage gum disease is called Gingivitis. Without intervention, this can progress to a more severe condition called Periodontitis, or Periodontal Disease.
Luckily, by maintaining good oral health and regularly visiting your dentist, your chances of developing gum disease are reduced significantly, unless you have another underlying factor to consider.
What causes Gum Disease?
Gum disease is caused by inflammation in the gums. While poor oral hygiene is one of the most common causes, there are some other factors that may increase your likelihood of developing gum disease.
Poor Oral Hygiene
Poor oral hygiene, caused by factors such as inconsistent brushing and flossing, snacking on sugary and acidic foods regularly, and not consuming enough water, allows plaque and calculus to build up on tooth surfaces above and below the gums.
Chronic Illness
Hormonal Changes
Medications
Genetics
Tobacco Use
How does Gum Disease Develop?
The immune system tries to fight the gum inflammation caused by gingivitis. However, this response can also destroy the bone and tissue that support the teeth.
Without treatment, the inflammation can spread deeper into the gum and progress to periodontitis. Periodontal disease can lead to severe gum recession as well as bone and tooth loss.
Symptoms of Gingivitis and Periodontitis
Sometimes gum disease can develop without obvious symptoms, which is why you should regularly visit your dentist!
Symptoms of Gingivitis: bleeding, bad breath, swelling, inflammation, redness, tenderness, and pain.
Symptoms of Periodontitis: gum recession, loose teeth, toothaches, changes to bone structure and bite.
It's important to remember that even if brushing and flossing cause you to experience pain and bleeding, you should still continue your oral health care as normal. These symptoms are often the first warning signs of gum disease, and if you continue to brush and floss, you're likely to remove the bacteria causing the inflammation and bleeding, and return your gums to a healthier state. If you're consistently noticing these symptoms, visit your dentist.
Treatment of Gum Disease
Gum disease needs to be treated by a dentist or dental specialist, as specific tools are required to remove the plaque and calculus build up. Depending on its severity, gum disease can be treated with Non-Surgical or Surgical procedures.
Bone loss due to gum disease is irreversible. But, certain treatments can help strengthen the gums, which can potentially retain teeth and prevent any further bone loss.
Non-Surgical Care includes:
Antibiotics:
Topical or oral antibiotics may be used to help control bacterial infection.
Mouthwash:
High strength mouthwash may be used to help reduce levels of harmful bacteria from the gums. Dentists can suggest specific types to suit certain cases.
Periodontal Clean:
A dentist or periodontal specialist removes plaque and calculus from above and below the gumline, and cleaning the root surfaces. This can help the gums reattach to the teeth.
Before and after a periodontal clean
Surgical Treatments include:
Bone Graft:
A bone graft can be used to regenerate lost bone, by placing organic or synthetic bone material under the gums. Some organic options can encourage gum tissue growth.
Gum Graft:
A dentist, or periodontal specialist, removes a piece of gum from the roof of the mouth and uses it to cover tooth roots exposed due to gum recession, which can reduce sensitivity.
Maintenance after Treatment
Gum disease treatment usually requires consistent post-operative maintenance, to avoid further progression.
Dental Cleans:
Once initial treatment is complete, frequent dental cleanings with a general dentist every 3 months is usually required to maintain gum health.
Oral Health:
Maintaining oral health with daily brushing and flossing is essential to help prevent the recurrence of gum disease. Mouthwash can also be beneficial to reduce bacteria.
Lifestyle:
Avoiding tobacco, managing diabetes and eating a healthy diet can help prevent the progression of gum disease.
Remember: without devoted maintenance, gum disease can reoccur!
Unfortunately, gum disease is an often overlooked topic.
The best and most simple way to avoid gum inflammation is to care for your oral health everyday by brushing and flossing, and visiting your dentist for regular cleans every 6-12 months.
If you start to notice signs of gingivitis, visiting your dentist is the best way to get the right information for you and recover before any permanent damage is done to your teeth, gums, and overall oral health.
If you have gum disease, please remember that you're not alone - millions of Aussies suffer from it.
Taking care of your oral health and gums is still vital if you have lost teeth due to gum disease, as tooth replacement options such as implants, bridges and dentures rely on good oral health to be effective.
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