What is gingivitis?
Gingivitis means inflamed gums. If you have gingivitis your gums will appear red, may be swollen and are likely to bleed when you brush your teeth.
Gingivitis is the first sign of gum disease.
Why do you get gum disease?
If plaque and food debris is allowed to build up around your teeth and not thoroughly removed by cleaning, it will cause irritation and inflammation of your gums. They will become red and may bleed during brushing.
What are the symptoms of gum disease?
If you have gum disease, you may experience any of the following symptoms:
- Red, swollen or bleeding gums
- A bad taste in your mouth
- Bad breath
- Loose teeth
- Repeated infections of the gum around the tooth, which can be painful
How can you treat gum disease?
Regular check ups are the most effective way to spot signs of gum disease early on.
If caught early, treatment for gum disease involves help and advice about your daily oral hygiene regime. Regular cleaning helps to remove plaque and bacteria, stopping the gums becoming inflamed.
It is important to understand that you cannot ‘cure’ gum disease. If you do not maintain an adequate level of oral hygiene it will return and the disease will continue to progress.
If plaque around your teeth has become hard and developed into tartar then treatment may also involve a thorough scale and polish with our hygienists.
In more severe cases of gum disease, the treatment is likely to be prolonged and involve repeated visits to the dental hygienist. Our clinical team will work with you to try and help get the disease under control and slow or stop its progression.
Sometimes this treatment will be carried out under local anaesthetic. You will be advised if this is necessary.
What happens if I don’t treat gum disease?
If gingivitis is left untreated for a long period, or for patients more susceptible to gum disease, the gum inflammation can begin to cause breakdown of the ligament that holds the teeth in place. The supporting bone may also begin to shrink back away from the teeth.
This will eventually lead to teeth becoming loose, eventually falling out or becoming painful and need extracting.
Who gets gum disease?
Anyone can suffer with gum disease, particularly if they are not cleaning their teeth and gums enough.
Research shows that some people inherit an increased susceptibility to gum disease, so even with good oral hygiene gum disease can progress.
There are other factors that make you more at risk of gum disease, these include:
- Smoking
- Diabetes (particularly if it is poorly controlled)
- Stress
- Unhealthy diet
- Poor oral hygiene
If you are a smoker, you are more likely to develop gum disease, but often will not experience any bleeding from your gums, so you are less likely than a nonsmoker to know you have gum disease.
What is the treatment for gum disease?
Here at Wollaton Dental Care we are committed to preventative care and maintaining positive dental hygiene. Routine dental care
During routine check ups we will provide you with information and tips to maintain oral health, with the aim of preventing gum disease.
If you are suffering with gum disease your dentist will discuss your treatment options with you. This will often involve a course of treatment with the hygienist over several visits.
Treatment for severe and advanced gum disease:
Sometimes if gum disease is very advanced or does not respond to standard treatments, further treatment may be necessary, either here at the practice or in certain cases by referral on to a periodontal specialist.
How much does gum disease treatment cost?
The costs of treating gum disease is dependent on the extent of your symptoms.
Hygienist appointments range from £82- £164, depending on the length of the appointment needed.
Regular check ups can prevent gum disease before symptoms develop. Take a look at our range of Care Plans designed to maintain positive oral health or for full details, download our latest Price Guide
