Let’s first look at what a healthy set of gums should look like – pink and firm to keep teeth anchored in place.
They should not bleed when you touch them or brush your teeth.
This might sound like common sense but it’s important you take care of your oral hygiene, and if you experience any noticeable changes you should get in touch with your dental practice.
Now, we will look at the in-depth symptoms a patient may experience.
What should I look out for?
The two most noticeable features of gum disease are:
Swelling and redness of the gums.
Gum which start to bleed after brushing or flossing.
If such early symptoms are recognised and you are able to visit your dentist, gum disease can be stopped before it has started to cause any real damage. By allowing gum disease to fester and develop, gum disease can cause a smile to deteriorate rapidly.
The more advanced stages of gum disease
Periodontitis is the term given to a more advanced stage of gum disease and is where the swelling and bleeding of the gums gets worse. There are some specific symptoms for periodontitis and these include:
Bad breath. This may also include a foul taste in the affected person’s mouth.
Sensitive teeth, which react to hot and cold liquid or simply when touched. Teeth may also fall out during much more advanced stages of this condition.
Pus seeping from the gums. Further, abscesses may also form with pus forming under the gums and teeth.
Receding gums.
Another form of gum disease is known as Acute Necrotising Ulcerative Gingivitis, or ANUG for short. This is a rare condition, with more severe symptoms than other gum disease conditions.
Symptoms of ANUG include the following:
Painful, bleeding gums, with ulcers.
Severe bad breath, including a metallic taste in the person’s mouth.
Excessive levels of saliva in the mouth.
A high fever, with the patient feeling unwell – they may have swollen lymph nodes on the neck, which are symptomatic of the body fighting an infection.
Causes of gum disease
Effectively, the main cause of gum disease is bacterial plaque. However, there are a number of other contributing factors to gum disease which we will now assess.
Smoking
As we are all aware, smoking is not good for our health, contributing to lung and heart disease. Did you know it’s terrible for our oral hygiene? It’s responsible for building up plaque on the teeth – which can lead to gum disease. It can also restrict the flow of blood to our gums. What’s more, smoking can also cause your teeth to become stained. So, if you’re worried about oral hygiene and are a smoker, you may want to consider the implications.
Stress
When you’re stressed your body finds it harder to fight off infections and gum disease can be a by-product of this. Stress can also sometimes lead on to another contributory factor to gum disease – teeth clenching. Some people, when stressed, will clench their teeth – or they may simple be unaware they are doing it while sleeping at night. Again, the grinding can have severe implications on the state of your gums.
Diabetes
Diabetes causes altered levels of sugar in the blood and develops from either a deficiency in insulin production or the body’s inability to use insulin correctly. People with diabetes can be at higher risk of developing infections, including gum disease.
Hormonal changes
When females are going through puberty, pregnancy or the menopause the hormonal changes can affect tissues in the body – including the gums. As such, this can make the gums more susceptible to bleeding. Care should be taking when brushing and flossing.
Genetics
According to research, up to 30 per cent of people may be susceptible to gum disease through their genetics. A genetic test can be used to help ascertain the chances of any future problems and allow the dentist to carefully monitor the situation.
Medication
Some medication can have an impact on our oral hygiene – for example, oral contraceptives, anti-depressant and particular heart medicines. These might lead to the decolourisation of gums or weaken tissues, making them more susceptible to gum disease. Be sure to take into account any possible side-effects.
Nutrition
We’ve saved perhaps the most obvious point for last. However, it pays to have a good diet and to ensure you aren’t overloading your mouth with sugary and fizzy foods and drinks, which can lead to an influx of bacteria plaque. This, in turn, can lead to gum disease. Take care of your diet, take care of your teeth!
Diagnosing gum disease
As has already been stated on this website, there can be no substitute for visiting a dentist or GP for a qualified opinion if you have any concerns about your oral health. However, there are some simple ways in which you can ascertain the likelihood that you have gum disease before visiting your dental surgery. Read on to learn more about diagnosing gum disease.
How do I know whether it is likely I have gum disease?
Firstly, let’s refer back to some of the crucial symptoms of gum disease. These include swelling and redness of the gums, along with gum that start to bleed after brushing or flossing. Clearly these are the main symptoms to look out for and it is likely that you will be able to immediately spot any problems during your day-to-day brushing and flossing rituals.
If you believe you have these symptoms, or have any concerns, book an immediate appointment with your dentist. Now we will look at what steps the dentist is likely to take.
What steps will the dentist take to diagnose the problem?
Firstly, your dentist should be able to determine whether you have gum disease through the symptoms you’re displaying. However, with the more advanced conditions of periodontitis Acute Necrotising Ulcerative Gingivitis (ANUG) there are some steps the dentist will undertake as part of the diagnosis.
Periodontitis necessitates a detailed dental examination and the mouth may be examined using a periodontal probe – this medical instrument is a thin silver stick that bends at one end. Here’s how it works: the probe is placed beside the affected tooth and underneath the gum line. If teeth and gums are in a health state and attached accordingly, the probe will be unable to slip down too far below the gum line. If it does, then the patient may have periodontitis. If needed, an X-ray may be used to check the teeth and jaw bone to assess the extent of the problem.
With acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis, it is vital that the patient sees a dentist as soon as you can. If the problem is not detected early enough then it can cause distressing problems.
Once the symptoms, cause and diagnosis of gum disease have been established the next stage is to get it treated. The dentist will naturally be keen to get the disease treated as soon as possible; nipping it in the bud early is the best course of action.
There are several ways of treating gum disease, which we will go on to explore. Read on for further information.
Good oral hygiene
It may sound obvious but taking care of your teeth and gums can prevent gum disease from occurring in the first place. Taking some simple steps can also go a long way to treating the problem and stopping it from re-occurring.
Here are a few handy tips to follow:
Brush your teeth for up to three minutes, twice a day. Help prevent the build up of plaque and you’ll go a long way to stopping it from damaging your teeth and gums. Using fluoride toothpaste is also highly recommended by dentists.
Try and floss your teeth about three times a week as part of your oral health routine.
Don’t smoke. As we’ve already discussed on this website, smoking is not good for your oral hygiene.
See your dentist regularly.
Other treatments your dentist may recommend
1) A mouthwash that contains chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide may be prescribed by your dentist. These are normally designed to be used two or three times a day although instructions do differ – so remember to read them!
2) Antibiotics – Your dentist could well prescribe antibiotics, which can help reduce inflammation of the gums.
3) Perhaps the most immediate need from a patient is for painkillers. After all, having gum disease can be an extreme cause of pain and discomfort so these may be prescribed, although the likes of paracetamol and ibuprofen are always regularly available from chemists, convenience stores and supermarkets.
Dental treatments
Now let’s look at the specific treatments which may be carried out by your dentist:
Scale and polish – This does what it says on the tin with the aim of cleaning your teeth of nasty gum disease-causing plaque and tartar. A special instrument will be used to scrape it all off.
Root planning – The dentist may take the decision to clean bacteria from the root of the teeth. With this treatment, given the potential for pain, an anaesthetic is likely to be used.
Surgery – This is usually a last resort but may be used in cases where the tooth needs to be removed, often in cases where the gum disease has not been treated early. Surgery is likely to be used for treating the more advanced condition of Acute Necrotising Ulcerative Gingivitis (ANUG).
