By Peter Saner, Clinical Director at Abbots Lodge Dental Practice
At the risk of repeating myself and on the assumption that no one is cutting out these articles and building them into a handy reference book, I’d like to revisit the subject of gum (periodontal) disease.
The reason is that gum disease happens quietly. It’s rarely painful. Often patients will only discover they have it because a dentist or hygienist tells them they have it. Patients get used to bleeding gums and it’s usually years into the progression of the disease that teeth start to move and get loose and by then it’s much harder to fix. All that time the disease has also been messing up other systems in the body and left untreated, can stimulate chronic heart disease and strokes. Untreated gum disease is associated with 168% increased risk of heart attack, 250% increased risk of stroke, 500% increased risk of respiratory disease to name a few. These are all diseases that mess up the enjoyment of our later years and so I am passionate about helping patients avoid them by whatever means I can. That’s why at Abbots Lodge Dental Practice, we check the health of your gums every time you come in and when we see disease we treat it.
What Causes Gum Disease?
The germs that live in your mouth (plaque), if left at the join between the gum and the tooth are the stimulus for gum disease. We all brush our teeth – well, all except for a few teenage boys – but often we are in a rush or not sure how to do it effectively. For some people at some times in life that doesn’t matter that much. Don’t assume you are one of them, because in most people given enough plaque and other factors smoking and stress will lead the immune system to overreact to the presence of the germs and the join between the gum and the tooth breaks down and the disease gets going with the loss of bone support and eventually loss of the teeth. Once the immune system has switched on in this way, it’s geared up to this destructive pattern and so once a periodontal patient – always a periodontal patient.
That Sounds Miserable – Is there any Hope?
Yes there is, it starts with effective daily cleaning of the teeth. Your own toothbrush in your own bathroom. Taking time using little “Tepe” brushes between the teeth to get to the places a normal brush can’t reach. Where the attachment of the gum to the tooth has broken down you need help to sort that out as this creates a pocket where the plaque gets on without being disrupted by your super brushing. Here at Abbots Lodge Dental Practice, we usually use our laser to help reset the attachment of the gum to the tooth to eliminate pockets and allow you to maintain the gums. This is proving to be the most effective tool that we have and many patients that thought that they were on the road to losing teeth now have their mouths back under control and should be able to go on to enjoy many years of eating, smiling and living well.
If you’re worried, why not come in and see us and let us help you with that. Call 01903 783154 or book online at www.abbotslodge.com