You and Your Gum Disease

If you have recently been diagnosed with gum disease, don’t panic. It’s certainly not one of the most pleasant diseases that you can develop but it’s not the worst and it can be treated.

The first thing to do if you have been diagnosed with gum disease is to change your lifestyle and start practicing a comprehensive daily oral hygiene program.

Gum disease is also known as periodontal disease. The cause of gum disease is the build up of plaque on the teeth underneath the gum. When this plaque is left untreated for long periods of time, it turns to tartar. When this harmful substance gets in under the gum, it can cause damage by rotting the root of the tooth causing teeth to loosen from the gum.
At its worst, gum disease can cause tooth loss but if it is caught in time, this outcome can be avoided.

What to expect if seeking professional treatment…

Periodontal dentists typically start treatment by giving the teeth a special cleaning. This involves numbing the mouth and the gum which allows the dentist to clean underneath the gum. It sounds harsh but once the mouth is numbed the patient doesn’t feel anything. Most likely, the dentist will do this in two sessions; first the right side of the mouth and then a week or so later, the left side or vice versa.

After this part of the process is completed, a lot of the after care is up the patient. It is normal for the gums to be sensitive for a few weeks after the treatment but stringent after care should start as soon as possible.

This involves both regular brushing, flossing, and using a natural mouth rinse. It is impossible for brushing alone to get rid of all the food debris that gets caught in between teeth. For this reason flossing and mouth rinse is essential.

But there are other things to do too. Those who live stressful lives, smoke, have bad diets or don’t get enough exercise are more vulnerable to gum disease and all types of infection. That’s because when we don’t take proper care of ourselves, our immune system is weakened.

The same way that it is important to take care of yourself after any illness, gum disease is no different. Make a special effort to eat properly. Increase the intake of vitamin C and vitamin D into your diet as these contain antioxidant elements that help your immune system fight off infection.

Once diagnosed, the battle against gum disease is life long, so the sooner you start to take better care of yourself, the better the chances you have of keeping your natural teeth.