Gum Diseases

Diseases of the gum are far more common than people would like to think, and affect individuals of all races, gender and age. The commonly accepted consensus is that people assume you have to be older to get gum disease, however there has been a rise in younger patients developing gum disease and especially people that smoke or have poor oral hygiene.

Early symptoms of gum disease include the gums becoming inflamed or sensitive. Other signs include gums that bleed easily, especially when brushing or flossing. If left untreated, it can progress into a type of gingivitis (there are two main types, plaque induced and non plaque induced with many different types of subgroups) which can sometimes become a more dangerous and persistent type of gum disease called periodontal disease. Gingivitis is the less serious form of gum disease usually caused by poor oral hygiene or excessive smoking, and in some cases, an underlying medical illness or side effect from medication. It can still cause great discomfiture, and can lead to more mouth, gum and teeth problems involving infection due to overly sensitive gums being infected through the small cuts caused when brushing of flossing (gingivitis causes the gums to become swollen and prone to bleed easily.)

Periodontal disease, is the more serious of the two main types of gum disease, and usually appears after gingivitis has gone untreated. Plaque builds up below the gum line, producing toxins that irritate the already fragile gums making the gums separate from the teeth, creating a gap in the gum that harbours bacteria and allows them to multiply to harmful levels. This leads to the gum being weakened enough to cause tooth looseness and if not treated in time, tooth loss.

A sub group of periodontal disease that requires immediate treatment from your dentist is ‘aggressive periodontal disease,’ which produces a very rapid separation between gums and teeth, and can affect anyone, even those in good medical health. If you notice that your gums are drawing away from your teeth quickly without any explanation, then you should go to your local dentist as soon as possible as it is important to catch it quickly before it loosens teeth.

Chronic periodontal is the most common form of gum disease after gingivitis, which results in the receding gums and the forming of bacteria pockets between gums and teeth.

Another form of periodontal disease is ‘necrotizing periodontal disease’ which is usually found in patients suffering from an underlying medical condition such as malnutrition or HIV.

Periodontal disease can also be found in patients who have underlying medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or respiratory diseases.

As with almost all dental diseases, prevention is easier that the cure, and gingivitis and periodontitis are easily preventable by following a strict oral hygiene routine that cleans thoroughly with the use of brushing, flossing and rinsing and monitoring your gums, checking for any loose flaps of gum, or a tendency to bleed easily in the mouth, and making sure you keep checking your gums for signs of receding gums or ‘tooth lengthening’ (when the gum recedes, the teeth can appear longer as more tooth is exposed.) Patients should try to keep their plaque levels to a minimum as gum disease is worsened by it. Regular trips to the dentist will help catch any signs of gum disease early and prevent it from progressing further and becoming tooth loss. A local dentist can be found quickly and easily using dentistscompare.com

Treatments for Gum Disease

Early treatment of gum disease can prevent a minor dentistry issue becoming a major dental problem, so ideally treatment should be done as soon as possible after diagnosis by your local dentist so that the risk of it developing into a more serious form of gum disease is decreased significantly. The type of gum treatment performed by your local dentist varies depending on the type of gum disease contracted.

Treatments for gum disease are usually performed by periodontists, (taken from the more serious gum disease known as periodontal disease/periodontitis) dentists who are specially trained for the treatment and prevention of gum diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis. Gum treatments are used to stop the spread of bacteria and infection within the infected pockets and alleviate the symptoms such as pain, discomfiture, bleeding and swelling. Scaling and root planing is a deep cleaning treatment that is aimed at removing the plaque and tartar that causes infection below the gum line and built up between the teeth.

Root planing removes roughened patches on the bottom (the root) of the tooth to reduce the purchase of the bacteria on the tooth, and thus, decrease the amount of infection by the bacteria. Medications may also be used in combination with gum treatments such as scaling and planing. Medication may include (although not limited to) prescribed antimicrobial mouth wash, antibiotic gel (applied to gums), enzyme suppressants and oral antibiotics. If medication and gum treatments such as scaling and root planing do not work, then a dentist may refer a patient to surgical treatment. While this may seem drastic, bone and tissue grafts can be used to support the re-growth of gum and bone matter lost to gum disease. Another treatment used for fighting gum disease is ‘flap’ surgery which lifts the gums to remove deep set tartar and plaque deposits, before stitching them back in to place to limit recontamination and infection.

If you have noticed any of the symptoms mentioned above, or know you are suffering from gum disease, then you should talk to your local dentist who can either offer the help or treatment best for your condition or they can refer you to a periodontist for advanced treatment.

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