When you think of dentistry, everyone thinks of teeth, but your gums are every bit as important.
Close to one in five people will get destructive gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss.
One problem is that gum disease typically doesn’t hurt until it is too late.
How Can I Tell If I Have It
You might have noticed that your gums look swollen and bleed,or that your teeth can start to spread out with gaps appearing between them.
Your teeth might have a degree of movement instead of being rock solid.
Another common side effect of gum disease is bad breath.
Why do you get gum disease?
Gum disease is a reaction to bacteria which grow on the teeth. Brushing will remove the vast majority of these, and most people’s bodies tolerate the few that remain. Some people react to even a few bacteria left on the teeth. The body starts to shrink the bone away from the plaque, leading to pockets under the gums.
And how do you get rid of it?
Every check-up will include an examination of the gums.
If we think you might have gum disease, we will look around your mouth with you, so that, together, we can fully understand what is going on.
We want everybody to keep their teeth pretty clean, but for those susceptible to gum disease a normal level of cleaning may not be enough.
Your home-care becomes the first of the three critical components, and we will help you make sure it is optimized.
The second component is our hygienist who will carefully clean each aspect of each tooth, to remove any plaque and deposits that might have previously formed.
We find that frequently these first two approaches are enough to solve most problems, but should you have certain areas that do not respond, we will move to the third tier, and arrange for you to see our Specialist.
Specialist Gum Treatments
Our Specialist can use his expertise to help deal with gum disease by targeting areas which have not stabilised with the home and hygienist care. This can involve active pocket reduction, or regenerating of the bone itself.
Aesthetic Gum Work
We are also able to offer aesthetic gum work to either reduce ‘gummy smiles’ or to cover up recession.
