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Gum disease treatments at Shine Dental Care

There is an effective treatment for gum disease and the team at Shine Dental Care Mansfield would be happy to discuss your treatment options.  If you are worried about gum disease, have bleeding gums, sore swollen gums, loose or wobbly teeth or receding gums then just give the Shine Dental Care Mansfield team a call and they will be happy to book an appointment at your convenience with one of our dentists.

What is Gum Disease?

Gum disease is a condition causing inflammation of the tissues which support the teeth, which includes gums, supporting bone and ligaments. There are two broad categories of gum disease; gingivitis and periodontitis.

Gingivitis is an early form of gum disease and typically causes reversible swelling, redness and bleeding of the gums.

Periodontitis is gum disease at a more advanced stage and can have the same symptoms of gingivitis. As well as these symptoms you may notice receding gums and loose teeth.

What Causes Gum Disease?

The bacteria which lives within the plaque which forms on our teeth is responsible for causing gum disease.

Who Gets Gum Disease?

Anyone can get gum disease as dental plaque builds up on everybody’s teeth throughout the day. There are several factors which increase the risk of getting gum disease, the main ones are listed below;

  • Poor Oral Hygiene.  If plaque isn’t removed effectively on a regular basis, you are more likely to get gum disease.
  • Plaque Retentive Factors. This means anything in the mouth that will trap plaque and make it harder to remove, such as rough fillings, fixed braces, ill-fitting crowns, partial dentures, crooked teeth and tartar build up.
  • Smoking lowers the immune system and exaggerates the inflammatory response of the gums as well as encouraging more tartar to build up on the teeth. This mean that although smoking doesn’t directly cause gum disease, people who smoke are much more likely to suffer from it.
  • People with a Lowered Immune Response.  People with a lowered immune system are at a higher risk of getting gum disease. Those who may have immune system suppression can include diabetics, people receiving cancer treatment or transplants, people with liver or kidney disease and people with a variety of blood cell disorders to name but a few.
  •  The increase in certain hormones during pregnancy mean that the gums are more susceptible to inflammation.

How Will I know If I Have Gum Disease?

You may notice some symptoms of gum disease yourself such as swollen or bleeding gums or loose teeth. Gum disease is not usually painful so often gum disease can go unnoticed. For this reason it is very important to have regular dental check ups so that you can be screened for gum disease. Your gums will be screened at all check up appointments and further investigations carried out if necessary.

How Is Gum Disease Treated?

This depends on how advanced your gum disease is. If you have gingivitis in its early stages, often a simple scale and polish to remove plaque and tartar and some oral hygiene instruction from our dental professionals will be enough to encourage the gum disease to resolve.

Treatment of periodontitis is slightly different. Initially you will require a detailed mapping of the gums which will determine which areas of the mouth are affected and how advanced the gum disease is. You may also require x-rays to determine if the bone which supports the teeth has been affected. A much more thorough scale of all of your teeth will follow this to ensure all tooth surfaces are free from plaque, tartar and bacteria.

Will Treatment be Painful?

A simple scale and polish may cause sensitivity if you already suffer sensitivity to cold drinks. This can be minimised by changing to a gentle setting on our equipment or by administering local anaesthetic if you wish.

Treatment of periodontitis will usually be carried out under local anaesthetic as the more thorough, deeper cleaning can cause some mild discomfort. Some, but not all, patients feel some temporary, mild tenderness of the gums following gum disease treatment, but this is easily alleviated with over-the-counter pain relief if necessary.

What will happen if Gum Disease is Not Treated?

As gum disease progresses the jawbone which supports the teeth can be affected, meaning there is less to hold your teeth in place. This is why, in later stages, teeth can become loose and eventually fall out.

Gum disease is a very unpredictable condition. It can progress quicker in some people than others. For this reason, we like to treat gum disease as soon as any signs or symptoms are spotted.

Will My Gum Disease Come Back?

Treatment of periodontitis aims to stabilise the disease. This means to stop it progressing any further. Unfortunately if you have lost some of the bone around the teeth this cannot be reversed.

Regular scales and polishes with a dental hygienist and thorough, regular plaque removal at home can help to ensure that no further damage is done to the gums, ligaments and bone holding your teeth in place.

If you would like to know more about gum disease treatment at Shine Dental Care Mansfield or would like to book an appointment just give the Shine team a call on 01623 629391.

Shine Dental Care Mansfield offer regular Scale and polish appointments to ensure your gums receive the care they need.

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