Gum disease is one of those health problems that’s easy to ignore – until it’s too late. Too few UK residents know the symptoms and risks of gum disease, and too few of us see a dentist before that “small bit of bleeding gums” has developed into fully-fledged periodontal disease.
Chronic gum inflammation is common, but that doesn’t make it harmless. Learn the risks of gum disease, how healthy gums are affected, and how you can protect your oral health before this silent threat compromises your teeth and gums.
How gum disease destroys healthy gums
Like the rest of your body, your teeth and gums need regular cleaning. Failing to brush your teeth twice a day and floss once per day leaves particles of food, drink, and saliva on your teeth and gums, which creates a sticky film dentists call “plaque”.
When plaque sits on your teeth day after day, it hardens and starts to irritate your gums. This hardened plaque is called “tartar”, and it can inflame your gums so much, they begin to bleed. Inflamed, bleeding gums are called “gingivitis”, and if they’re not treated early, gingivitis moves below the surface of the gums to infect them – a condition called periodontitis. This is a much more serious condition in which you lose the gum tissue that holds your teeth in place – and risk losing your teeth, too.
Symptoms of gum disease
Even mild gum disease can cause red, puffy gums and bleeding gums. Early gum disease, or gingivitis, can cause tenderness in the gum line or leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth, but it’s often pain-free. The lack of oral discomfort means patients ignore their bleeding gums instead of seeking dental care.
When gums bleed and swell for many months or years, a more severe stage of gum disease, periodontal disease, develops. Warning signs of advanced gum disease include bad breath, very swollen gums, loose teeth, and receding gums as well as bleeding, inflamed gums. When periodontal disease is left untreated for decades, it can cause bone loss in the jaw.
Causes and risk factors for gum disease
The most common cause of gingivitis and periodontal disease is poor oral hygiene – not brushing often enough, or thoroughly enough. But other factors also play a part. For example, stress and a poor diet weaken your body’s immune system, making it harder for your mouth to fight infection.
Smoking and tobacco use can cause gum disease, too. Tobacco creates an unhealthy mouth environment in which mouth cells can’t fight or recover from infection. Gums are under constant attack from tobacco and smoke residue, which irritates gums and slows the healing process.
Sometimes, genetics and health conditions play a role in gum disease. People with a family medical history of gum disease can be prone to developing plaque, even with diligent oral care. Diabetes and hormonal changes from pregnancy can increase your risk of gum disease, and certain medications contribute to the condition, too.
Gum disease affects whole-body health
Ignoring your gum health eventually leads to tooth loss, but gum disease has whole-body health effects, too. Periodontal disease has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, several different cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s. Taking care of your gums isn’t a “nice-to-have” – it’s a necessity for your entire body.
6 Essential tips for preventing gum disease
Happily, gum disease is preventable and treatable is caught soon enough.
- Your first port of call should always be daily, high-quality oral care. Good oral hygiene means brushing with fluoride toothpaste twice a day, every day, and cleaning between your teeth (flossing or using interdental brushes) every night. Brushing and flossing may seem simple, but they’re powerful habits – they’ll help you keep your teeth and protect your overall health for years.
- Next, you need to schedule regular visits to a dental hygienist to remove tartar. Build up of plaque is nearly unavoidable, even for the most diligent brushers, and dental and craniofacial research has found that twice-yearly professional cleanings benefit oral health.
- Schedule regular dental check ups, too. Keeping your teeth clean is essential, but they should also be examined by a dentist regularly. A dentist will be able to tell whether your gingivitis could be transitioning to more severe gum disease.
- If you’re a smoker, quit. Smoking is eroding your health in every way, including your oral health. You’ll save your health, your longevity, and your smile by quitting.
- Eat well and manage your stress. Stress and diet directly affect your immune system, and a weak immune system allows infection to creep in. Your mouth cells can fight gum infection better when they’re stronger, and a healthy diet plus managed stress keep them ready for action.
- Use therapeutic mouthwash. Unlike cosmetic mouthwash that merely masks bad breath, therapeutic mouthwash contains active ingredients designed to remove plaque and prevent tartar build up. Look for mouthwash products with ingredients like fluoride, chlorhexidine, or essential oils.
If you’ve noticed gum bleeding, bad breath you can’t brush away, or gum discomfort, you should visit a dentist. Book in for an appointment so we can examine your gums and determine the stage of your gingivitis or periodontal disease.
How we treat gum disease at Love-Teeth
Gum disease is much less serious than periodontal disease, so the treatments are different. Here’s how we manage both for patients:
Treating gum disease
We treat early-stage gum disease with practices that remove plaque, like professional dental cleanings, scaling, and root planing. If you visit the dentist regularly and maintain your healthy teeth, it’s unlikely that gingivitis will progress to anything more serious.
Treating periodontal disease
If your gum disease has advanced to periodontitis, we need to do more than treat the symptoms. When we assess periodontal disease patients, we take a look at the underlying causes of their advanced disease. Then, we decide on a treatment path that restores and regenerates damaged gum tissue and bone, which usually includes a combination of surgical and nonsurgical therapies.
We’ll take pictures of your teeth with advanced dental imaging tools, then consider customised surgical approaches that will allow us to cover exposed tooth roots and secure your remaining teeth.
For severe cases, periodontal treatments may include surgeries like flap surgery (pocket reduction surgery), bone grafting, and guided tissue regeneration. These procedures restore gum health and help reclaim bone structure and tooth stability.
We treat both mild and advanced gum disease, and we’d love to help you restore your gum health. Book an appointment with one of our skilled dentists who will assess your gum health and recommend a course of action.