Periodontal disease or gum disease is caused by bacteria which collects at the gum line as dental plaque. If not properly cleaned away by brushing and interdental cleaning, the gums start to come away from the tooth and over time the bone is destroyed, the teeth become wobbly and may have to be removed for the sake of general health.
Who Gets Gum Disease?
There are a few factors that put people at higher risk of gum disease:
Diabetes, smoking, people who suffer from severe stress, poor diets, obesity, certain medications and it can also be genetic.
Periodontitis can be pain free and is sometimes called, ‘the silent disease;. Regular checks by your dentist or hygienist will detect the early stages (called gingivitis). Other things to look for are bleeding gums when brushing, red swollen gums, bad breath, spaces appearing between teeth, loose teeth and sensitivity.
How To Treat Gum Disease
Treatments aim to reduce the bacteria around your teeth and prevent the disease from getting worse.
Treatments cannot replace any bone already lost.
You will be taught the best methods of cleaning your teeth and gums. This is essential as treatment will only work with good standards of oral hygiene.
Any hard plaque (calculus) will be removed from the teeth by scaling.
Any hard calculus below the gum line must also be removed, and this can be completed under a local anaesthetic if preferred.
What Are The Benefits Of Gum Disease Treatment?
- Your gums will not be sore or bleed when you brush your teeth
- You will have a fresher mouth and will feel fresh
- Teeth will become less wobbly
- There will be less discomfort when eating
- You will be able to keep your natural teeth for longer
There has been studies to show there is a link between gum disease and poor general health, heart disease, alzheimers, diabetes and stroke.
Other Treatments To Save Wobbly Teeth
In some cases and the tooth cannot be saved, then you may need to have them extracted. Natural teeth can then be replaced with either dentures, bridges, or implants depending on your dentists recommendation.
How Long Does It Take To Treat Gum Disease?
As gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease it can usually be treated by seeing the hygienist for a scaling. A twenty or thirty minute appointment will be necessary with regular six monthly reviews.
Periodontitis is usually treated over four, thirty minute visits with reviews every three months.
Deeper scaling and charting of any problem areas is required. Also 4-6 small x-rays may be required.
Stain removal will be carried out when the gums are in a better condition. This can take twenty to thirty minutes depending on the severity of the stain. Any intrinsic stain, e.g stains inside the tooth, may be removed with whitening treatment.
Periochips can also be applied, these are small pieces of gel that can be placed in between the tooth and the gum to aid healing. This can take approximately ten to twenty minutes depending on how many periochips need to be placed.
Book Your Dental Assessment
If you are worried you may have gum disease don’t ignore the signs, either call us on 01902 420 007 or fill out the short form below to book your appointment. Gum disease is easy to treat if caught early!
