Posts Tagged ‘gum disease’

Signs of Gum Disease

Posted on: October 24th, 2018 by freshadmin No Comments

Gum disease or periodontitis or periodontal disease is often silent, which means that you may not have any symptoms until you reach an advanced stage of the disease. It all begins with bacteria that grow in your mouth that may lead to tooth loss, if not properly treated, because they destroy the tissue surrounding the teeth.

Gum Disease and Gingivitis

Some people confuse periodontitis to gum inflammation called gingivitis. Truth is gingivitis could indeed precede to gum disease, but not all gingivitis progresses to periodontal disease. In the early stages of gum inflammation, bacteria build up and cause the gums to bleed easily and become swollen, especially during brushing or even flossing. However, even though the gums may be tender and irritated, there is no worrying for the teeth, given that they are still firmly in place (in their sockets). This means that no irreversible damage to the tissue or bone has occurred yet.

Unfortunately, if you leave gingivitis untreated, it will definitely advance to gum disease. This is when things get complicated and far more serious than before. The inner layer of the bone and gum form pockets (small spaces between the gums and teeth) as they pull away from the teeth. These pockets become a farmland for bacteria and collect debris. As a result, they become infected, and the body initiates an immune response to fight the bacteria while the plaque continues to grow and spread below the gum line.

The bacteria in the plaque and the enzymes involved when the body is fighting an infection produce poisons or toxins that begin to break down the connective tissue and bone that hold the teeth in their sockets. The pre-mentioned pockets go deeper up the gum, destroying more bone and gum tissue along the way. As the disease progresses, the teeth eventually become loose as they are no longer anchored in place as firmly as before. This means irreversible tooth loss.

Warning Signs of Gum Disease

Gum disease is a nasty condition that affects not only your oral (and overall) health but also your self-confidence. Who feels comfortable having missing teeth? Will you keep on smiling if some your teeth have fallen? It is so sad to see people suffer from such an easily prevented condition.

Some of the warning signs that could alert you and urge you to visit your dentist right away include:

  • Tender, swollen, or red gums.
  • Pain and/or sores in the mouth.
  • Bleeding when brushing or flossing (it may also occur when eating hard food).
  • Gums that have receded or are pulled away from the teeth, making the teeth look longer than what they used to be.
  • Loose teeth or teeth that are separating.
  • Puss between your teeth and gums.
  • Persistent bad breath.
  • A change in the way you bite (teeth that don’t fit together like before).

For obvious reasons, having regular check-ups is critical to detect and treat any problems with your teeth and gums early, so you keep your teeth for as long as possible.

For any concerns or questions, please do not hold back from contacting the Same Day Teeth Suite. Early detection, especially among those with an increased risk of developing gum disease (i.e. smokers and people with diabetes) can save your teeth and your health from serious deterioration.

Don’t wait any longer.

Act NOW!

So, What Are My Options If My Teeth Cannot Be Salvaged?

Posted on: May 2nd, 2018 by freshadmin No Comments

If the teeth cannot be saved, you will need to have some teeth removed. The next step after that is to replace the missing teeth with a form of fixed tooth replacement, meaning either with high-quality partial dentures or fixed bridges dependable on the quality of the teeth that can hold the bridges. This means that you can have natural looking teeth which are fixed onto your current teeth, which do not require any removable plates. Another option is to have dental implants.
Of course, the gum has to be very healthy and have enough bone, in order for the dental implant to replace teeth and mimic the natural tooth.

What Happens if you Have Advanced Gum Disease?

In case you have advanced gum disease on all your teeth, there is no other option left than, unfortunately, removing all your teeth. After that though, there are things you can do to get your smile back. One option is to have very high-quality dentures, such as BPS or Swiss dentures.

Why BPS or Swiss Dentures?

The advantage of these dentures over national health or standard dentures is that you’re using the highest quality teeth to make it look as natural as possible, so no one distinguishes you have a denture.
What is very unique about these teeth is that there are different moulds, different shapes, and different colours. Therefore, we are able the design them to the patient’s features. Another great thing about these dentures is their engineering properties and the way they are constructed. We are using the highest type of acrylic, called injection moulded acrylic, which means that you get an exquisite suction and very good support of these dentures, reducing the risk of them moving.

That said; BPS and Swiss dentures are carefully constructed in a way that allows the teeth to move from left to right, forward and backward, providing high stability of the dentures, besides an excellent movement.
Other Available Options of Replacing Teeth:

  1. Dentures on Implants

    If you lose all your teeth, then dentures on implants is another excellent solution to your problem. The way dentures are made make them very secure, in a very affordable way. For example, we could use 2-4 implants in the lower jaw to secure the denture. On the upper jaw, we generally use a minimum of 4 implants to achieve the desired results.

  2. Fixed Bridges on Implants

    This is the best way of having fixed teeth so nothing is removed. On the lower and upper jaw, we use a minimum of 6 dental implants to allow us to place a well-crafted, natural looking bridge to replace the missing teeth.

  3. Teeth In A Day

    In specific cases only, the final option for certain patients is a procedure called Teeth In A Day, where the teeth are taken out, let the patient heal for a couple of weeks, before we place an immediate fixed bridge. It is a great way for patients that want to avoid the denture completely.

If you have teeth that cannot be saved, or you think they aren’t salvageable, please contact us to discuss your options and find the best possible solution that will bring your quality of life back and ensure your wide smile for many years!

The Truth About Tooth Loss Due to Gum Disease

Posted on: March 21st, 2018 by freshadmin No Comments

Gum disease or periodontal disease is a complicated and dangerous condition of the mouth that jeopardises your oral health and, of course, your beautiful smile. There are several periodontal diseases that range from simple gum inflammation to a more severe disease that involves significant damage to the bone and soft tissue that support the teeth. The worst-case scenario includes teeth loss.

Causes of Gum Disease

Our mouths have bacteria that along with other particles form a colourless and sticky plaque on the teeth that brushing and flossing can help remove. If you don’t get rid of the plaque every day, it can harden and form tartar. Unfortunately, brushing is no longer a sufficient means to remove tartar, and it requires the assistance of professional cleaning, either a hygienist or a dentist.

Gingivitis

By allowing plaque and tartar to remain on the teeth for long, the bacteria inside the mouth cause gum inflammation. You see your gums become swollen and red, and they start bleeding more easily than before. This is called gingivitis, and the longer tartar and plaque are on the teeth, the more harmful it becomes. However, gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease and doesn’t involve bone and/or tissue loss that could put your teeth at risk. Gingivitis can be tackled by brushing and flossing on a daily basis. Plus, a dentist’s (or a dental hygienist’s) intervention to clean your teeth is also essential.

Periodontitis

Untreated gingivitis advances to periodontitis. In periodontitis, the gums around the tooth are swollen and pull away from the teeth. As a result, pockets are formed (meaning spaces between the gums and the teeth) that also become infected because as the plaque spreads below the gum line,  the immune system tries to fight the bacteria. This natural response to the infection, combined with the bacterial toxins, begin to break down the connective tissue and the bone that hold the teeth in their place. If something radically is not done at this point, the teeth become loose since the tissue and gums that support them are destroyed. In this case, the teeth will have to be removed.

Risk Factors:

  1. Smoking

    It is perhaps the most critical factors that contribute to developing gum disease. Smoking, be it cigarettes or electronic cigarettes, can also reduce the chances for a successful treatment significantly.

  2. Diabetes

    People with diabetes are at high risk of developing gum disease and other infections.

  3. Hormonal Changes

    These concern women and make gums more sensitive, hence, more susceptible to gingivitis.

  4. Other illnesses-

    AIDS and cancer treatments can also affect the health of the gums.

Symptoms of Gum Disease

  1. Persistent Bad Breath
  2. Gums that are tender/bleeding/ swollen/red
  3. Loose/sensitive teeth
  4. Painful Chewing
  5. Receding Gums
  6. Teeth that appear longer

Any of these symptoms can be a sign of a critical problem that should be checked by a dentist, so if you identify any of these in you, you are strongly recommended to book your FREE consultation NOW and have your mouth checked in full detail.

 

How is Gum Disease Treated

The sooner you control the infection, the better. The nature of the treatment will depend on the extent of the disease. Please note that all types of treatments require a good daily care at home, too.  Needless to say, quitting smoking is a huge must-do, in order to enhance the treatment outcome.

Also, you will have to undergo a deep-cleaning, called root planing and scaling, to remove the tartar and get rid of the accumulated bacteria. In some cases, your hygienist or dentist may have to use a laser to remove the tartar and plaque. This method has considerably less discomfort, swelling, and bleeding, compared to other traditional deep cleaning methods. Of course, more severe cases will have to be treated via surgery.

Avoid unnecessary surgical treatments and save yourself both the money from costly procedures and distress. Contact us now at Same Day Teeth Suite and let us assess and evaluate your case and guide you through keeping your oral health and beautiful smile for many more years to come!

Why replace missing teeth?

Posted on: May 15th, 2014 by freshadmin No Comments

If you are missing a tooth, you know what a difference it can make to your eating habits, but it can also affect your speech and facial appearance. Losing a tooth can promote a lack of confidence and not doing something about it can lead to trouble in keeping your remaining teeth in a healthy condition.

You can lose teeth for a variety of reasons: untreated cavities, gum disease, cracked teeth and damaged roots, as well as everyday accidents, can all be causes. A number of people lose a tooth but fail to visit their dentist for advice, preferring to soldier on. For many this could be a big mistake in the long term.

Not replacing missing teeth can make you prone to other, more serious, oral health conditions that can have wide ranging and destructive effects.

Tooth shifting:

If you lose a tooth it creates a space and quite often your surrounding dentures will move. Over time this can cause crooked teeth as well as bite alignment issues that may need more detailed dental work that just replacing a missing tooth.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ):

Losing one or more teeth can impact on your bite alignment and stop your upper and lower jaw from meeting properly. In certain circumstances, this can cause TMJ, a painful and often debilitating condition that arises from damage to your jaw joint.

Increased risk of gum disease:

Having a gap in your teeth means that more food can get stuck there and it is often difficult to clean properly. This means you will have a greater probability of getting a periodontal disease, which, apart from being quite painful, can also cause further tooth loss if not treated.

Bone deterioration:

The root of your tooth is very important and can help stimulate the jawbone below. When this root is removed it can lead to a deterioration of the jaw bone area which, again, can also lead to additional loss of teeth.

Sunken facial appearance:

If your jaw deteriorates and there is bone loss it will have an impact on your facial appearance and can make you appear older.

If you have a missing tooth it is essential that you go to see a dentist, like the Sameday Teeth Suite in the East Midlands, who will be able to advise you on the best course of action. The single loss of a tooth can create a domino effect that, over time, can cause many problems. Your dentist might suggest:

  • Dentures for more severe tooth loss.
  • Bridges which are crowns that can be affixed to nearby natural teeth.
  • Implants which can be attached to the jawbone to provide a permanent fixture.

Your dentist will take a look at how many teeth you have missing as well as the condition of those remaining and then decide which solution is the best for you. There’s no doubt that replacing a tooth today will help you avoid even greater problems later, including a greater risk of periodontal disease, as well as the extra expense involved.

Book your FREE Consultation to missing teeth at one of our dental clinic in Nottingham, Leicester and Loughborough to take action today.