Indications of Gum Disease

Early signs of gum problems and what to do about it

As children, it is not uncommon to be told by our parents that if we don’t clean our teeth properly, they will fall out. This is obviously done as a scare tactic to encourage us to clean our teeth well. However, a more likely initial problem that may to be run into if we don’t clean our teeth well is not actually tooth loss, but gum disease. Gum disease is extremely common but usually minor and easily corrected. Left untreated however, it can have very major consequences.

Gingivitis

Gingivitis is by far the most common form of gum disease and usually occurs when the teeth and gums are not cleaned sufficiently well. The first signs that a patient has this is when the gums become sore or start to bleed. If this occurs, we would always recommend that you contact our Derby dental practice to arrange a consultation in order to treat this speedily and effectively.

Periodontitis

Periodontitis occurs when gingivitis has been ignored and is left to advance. When plaque is left to build up untreated, it will gradually attack the gums and eventually will cause the gums to pull away from the teeth, leaving them even more vulnerable. Some cases of periodontitis are hereditary and can be very aggressive and result in significant bone loss and destruction of the gum tissue.

The most common form of periodontitis however is chronic periodontitis which occurs over a longer period of time and is often indicated by receding gums, with pockets forming between the teeth and gums. This is problematic as it provides areas for further build up of the destructive bacteria which cause gum disease.

Some health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung diseases are known to increase the likelihood of gum disease and if a patient is known to have these, the potential correlation will be monitored closely by our periodontist at our Derby dental practice.

Those with a weak immune system such as those with HIV may also suffer necrotising periodontitis which causes the death of the gum tissue and inevitable tooth loss.

Whilst these descriptions may sound a little scarey to our patients, the reality is that for most people who regularly attend our clinic for check ups, periodontitis in its early stages is likely to be the only type of gum disease that they encounter. This is normally reversible purely by following an oral health regime that our hygienist and dentist will recommend.

In cases, where there is already a significant build up of plaque, this may be removed by our Derby hygienist in a procedure often referred to as a ‘scale and polish’. This simply involves the removal of the plaque by scraping it away , followed by a polish to remove any remaining plaque. Where the plaque has started to attack below the gum line, a local anaesthetic may be administered as, although not a painful procedure, it may cause a little discomfort.

Provided that a patient cleans and flosses their teeth well though, the chances of suffering gum disease in their lifetime should be minimised.

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