The four critical signs of gum disease

Gum disease in adults

Let’s take a look at four critical signs of gum disease:

1. Bleeding gums – when you brush your teeth or even eat hard food such as apples, your gums may bleed.
2. Bad breath – as well as having an unpleasant taste in your mouth, your breath smells badly.
3. Receding gums – if you look at your teeth in the mirror, you will see that your gums are pulling back from the teeth, making your teeth look more elongated than usual.
4. Loose teeth – you may notice some of your teeth wobbling or moving when you eat, causing your bite to change.

Diagnosing gum disease

The best way to deal with gum disease is to prevent it. When you go for your routine dental check-up, your dentist will check for bleeding gums, swelling, sensitivity, tooth movement, space between gums and teeth and the health of your jawbone. If gum disease is detected, it will need to be treated urgently.

The treatment of gum disease

When your dentist treats gum disease, he will aim to restore the attachment of the gums to the teeth, reduce swelling, reduce the depth of the pockets around the teeth, limit infection, and stop the disease from progressing. Your particular treatment will depend on the stage of the disease you are at, your general health, and whether you have had treatment before. The best advice is to see a good hygienist locally or a general dentist. Treatment may involve either of the following:

Non-surgical therapy

This will aim to control and eventually eradicate the bacterial attack using a scaling and root planing technique. The plaque will be scraped off the teeth and root surfaces. A local anaesthetic can be given to avoid discomfort. The gums will then heal and reattach to the teeth.

If the gum tissue does not reattach tightly, your dentist may recommend periodontal pocket reduction. Using this process, he will fold back the gum tissue, remove any remaining bacteria and smooth the bone. The gum tissue should then reattach to the now healthy bone. More.

Surgical therapy

When this is used, gum disease is usually advanced; hence, the supporting tissues in the gums and around the teeth will need to be restored. This can be done by using any of the following surgical therapies:

• Gum grafting – if the roots are exposed, gum tissue can be taken from another site and used to cover them. This will prevent sensitivity, protect from decay and halt further bone loss or gum recession.
• Bone grafting – where bone has been lost, your dentist will remove the bacteria and replace the missing bone with natural or synthetic bone, adding protein to stimulate the regrowth of tissue and bone. More.

After any treatment for gum disease, meticulous at-home aftercare is vital to prevent it from reappearing.

Facts about gum disease.

Not all the teeth may be affected by gum disease. The disease is usually more severe towards the back of the mouth and between the teeth: these are areas that are difficult to clean.

Some people have a very strong inborn resistance and don’t experience severe periodontal disease even when their oral hygiene is poor. Other people, although perfectly healthy, have a low resistance to periodontal disease and have to achieve virtually perfect oral hygiene to prevent it.

Even though you always brush your teeth twice a day, you still get gum disease. The reason for this is that you probably miss the same parts of your mouth every time you brush and these will be areas affected by the disease. So perhaps you need to spend more time and improve your brushing technique.

Want to know more?

The page explains that the four critical signs of gum disease are bleeding gums, bad breath, receding gums and loose teeth. It advises that routine dental checks are important because dentists can assess gum swelling, bleeding, tooth movement, gum pockets and jawbone health. Treatment depends on the stage of disease and may include deep cleaning, root planing, pocket reduction, gum grafting or bone grafting.

1. NHS: Gum disease
   Explains common gum disease symptoms, including bleeding gums, bad breath, shrinking gums and loose teeth, and advises when to see a dentist.
2. British Society of Periodontology: Gum health resources for patients
   Specialist resource explaining gum health, prevention, treatment and the importance of recognising gum disease early.
3. Common gum disease signs and what to do next
   A blog explaining early warning signs such as bleeding gums, bad breath and gum changes, with advice on when to book a dental assessment.
4. Warning signs of gum disease
   Guidance on symptoms patients should not ignore, including bleeding, swollen gums, persistent bad breath and possible tooth loss.
5. Gum disease treatment, signs, options and costs
   Guide covering gum disease warning signs, treatment options and practical steps patients can take to protect their gums.