When was the last time you gave any thought to your gums? If you are like most people, it was probably a long time ago, perhaps when you scratched them on a sharpish piece of food or similar? Unfortunately neglecting our gums isn’t unusual, but it should be – gum health is very important and gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss, so it pays to get it right.
The good news is that it really isn’t hard for most of us to keep our gums healthy. It can be more difficult for people with compromised immune systems such as diabetics, but even then, with good care, problems can usually be avoided. If you haven’t made a new year resolution yet, why not add ‘look after my gums better’ to your focus for the year.
As with our teeth, the most fundamental thing that you can do to keep your gums healthy is to clean them well. This is something that many of our patients probably don’t do as well as they should. Many of us pay attention to our teeth as we want them to look nice and also don’t want to suffer from toothache or to lose them! This often means ‘flat brushing’ the surface which helps very little with the gums.
To make sure that the gums are clean when your brush your teeth, make sure to angle the bristles of your toothbrush towards the gums. This helps the bristles get into the gum line and remove any food debris and bacteria that might have collected there. Make sure too, that the bristles of your brush are not worn, and if they are, replace them. Changing the brush or head of an electric one every three months or so is recommended.
Brushing alone is not sufficient though. The bristles are unlikely to reach well enough between the teeth where debris and bacteria can become trapped. The best way to clean this area is by using dental floss. This is not as difficult as people seem to think, and a little practice will enable you to keep this area clean too. If you struggle, ask our experienced dentists to demonstrate how to do this. If you really can’t floss, there are dental floss stick available or water piks that you can try, though do persevere with floss if you can.
So, is all of the above sufficient to keep your gums healthy? Well, it’s definitely a good start, but even with the best home cleaning in the world, bacteria and minerals from your saliva will collect on the teeth and around the gum line, forming a hard ‘crust’ which will be near impossible to remove yourself. As this creates a rough surface, it can accelerate deterioration as it makes it easier for bacteria etc to attach to.
In order to remove this tartar, you need to see our dental hygienist. This should be done six monthly and possibly more frequently for those most at risk.
When you visit the dental hygienist, they will discuss your oral health care with you and may make recommendations as to how this can be improved. This might be in your cleaning methods, diet or other factors of your lifestyle.
Following this, the hygienist will carry out a procedure commonly known as a ‘scale and polish’. This is a non invasive procedure usually carried out in three parts.
The first part involves the removal of the bulk of the tartar. This is done manually using a hooked implement. You should feel no pain and no local anaesthetic is usually used. You may feel some ‘pulling’ during this part but that is all.
The second part usually involves a sonic cleaner. This uses soundwaves to shatter most of the remaining tartar which is then washed away using a water suction tool.
Finally, the hygienist will use a special brush and paste to clean your teeth and remove any remnants of tartar that are left. Following this, you will not only find that your teeth and mouth feel cleaner and fresher, but that your teeth are likely to look a little whiter too. This is due to the removal of some surface staining. It won’t whiten your teeth in the same way that a teeth whitening procedure will do, but it is certainly a nice little bonus.
If you don’t follow the above advice, you are likely to be more prone to gum disease. Not only can this present unpleasant symptoms such as sore or bleeding gums, pus in the gum pockets and halitosis, but if not treated soon enough, it can also damage the bone your teeth are held in place by. As the bone degrades, the teeth are likely to become loose and wobbly and can even fall out. As looking after them really isn’t that hard, it is definitely worth making sure that you look after them well.
If you haven’t seen a hygienist before, or at least for some time, why not start the new year by making an appointment? You can arrange a visit to the hygienist at our Bromley dental practice by calling 020 8462 2473 and they’ll be pleased to assist.
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