Oral hygiene and disease

The mouth is a portal into the rest of the body. Maintaining good oral hygiene, brushing your teeth, flossing and visiting the dentist is important for your overall health. If plaque and tartar is left on the teeth it provides good conditions for bacteria to progress. The bacteria irritate the gums, which means that they bleed more easily. You may notice this if you are brushing your teeth, or eating, and sometimes your gums may bleed a bit. This is the early stage of gum disease called gingivitis. If you have gingivitis, we will clean your teeth by scaling and polishing them. If gingivitis not treated and nothing is done about it, the inflammation will work its way down towards the foundations of the tooth causing   break down the support (bone) structures of the teeth, so that eventually, they will become loose. The problem is that until it gets quite severe, the person often has no symptoms. Sadly, the damage to the support structures of the teeth is irreversible. The good news is that if gum disease is caught in time, its progression can be stopped and improved.

Gum disease is the most common disease in the human body. Initial symptoms include bad breath and sore, swollen or bleeding gums .In some cases, oral problems can be a symptom of other diseases, such as diabetes. Research has also linked gum disease to heart disease, premature birth and even knee arthritis.

We can offer you advice on practical skills like tooth cleaning or flossing and also give your teeth a professional deep clean including cleaning between them and below the gum line.