Detecting and Treating Gum Disease in Sutton Coldfield

The importance of periodontics

Many of you reading this post will, at some point in your life, have gum disease and you may not even be aware of it. This may occur during a period where, for example, you have been ill and may have neglected your teeth for a few days. The fact is that if not cleaned properly and regularly, bacteria which cause harm will build up over a period of time and start to attack the gums. For most people though, once a regular brushing and flossing routine is re-established, the bacteria will be removed and oral health will be restored.

For some people though, these bacteria are allowed to multiply until the symptoms of gum disease start to show and potentially threaten your gums and teeth. In fact, gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in the UK, which is even more sad as it is easily treated if caught in its early stages.

Whilst regular brushing and flossing will take care of any bacterial build up to a large degree, there are certain groups who are especially vulnerable to gum disease – these include, diabetics, women in pregnancy, women during the menopause and those on certain medications which may make them vulnerable. For everyone though, symptoms are easily spotted.

Symptoms of Gum Disease

Once gum disease, or gingivitis as it is also called in the early stages, has taken hold, the patient is likely to notice that their gums are sore and may even bleed on occasions. This is not natural and if you have these symptoms, you should arrange an appointment with us at Arthur House Dental Care in Sutton Coldfield in order to treat these symptoms.

Treatment of Gum Disease

The treatment of gum disease will vary according to the stage at which it is at. In its early stages, it is most likely that the patient will be recommended simply to improve their cleaning regime and may be given advice on how to do this. In most cases, this is all that will be needed.

Where plaque has already built up and hardened on the teeth, you may be referred to our dental hygiene therapist for what is commonly referred to as a ‘scale and polish’. This is where the hardened plaque is removed from the teeth using special dental equipment. Visiting a hygienist is also useful for all patients as although their cleaning regime may be good, there are inevitably parts of the mouth that are very difficult indeed to reach when cleaning and it is in these areas that the plaque builds up unnoticed. One of the most common of these areas is at the back of the rear teeth. These build ups are easily spotted and cleaned during the hygiene treatment.

For more advanced cases of gum disease, a deep clean may be necessary. This is similar to the ‘scale and polish’ but involves cleaning below the gum line and is a more invasive procedure that will be done using a local anaesthetic to numb the area.

If gum disease and its symptoms are ignored however and allowed to go beyond this stage untreated, it is likely to advance to become a more aggressive form of periodontitis which attacks not only the gums but also the bone in the jaw. This in turn weakens the support for the teeth that it holds in place and is likely to lead to the loss of teeth and the necessity for a replacement to be found such as dentures or dental implants.

Simply be ensuring that you arrange to have regular check ups at our Sutton Coldfield dental practice, it is highly unlikely that any gum disease will reach this stage and any incidence of it can be treated quickly and easily.