Periodontics

Our Specialist Periodontist

Gum Disease (Periodontal Disease)

What is it?
Periodontal Disease affects the bone supporting the teeth. People with chronic cases of Periodontal Disease, eventually have to have teeth extracted, as much of the bone is lost and teeth become loose. You can prevent Periodontal Disease from getting worse by maintaining a good dental care routine and making regular visits to your Dentist or Hygienist.

There are two stages of gum disease:-

• The first stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. This is when the gums become red and swollen. Such inflammation can be cured with good oral hygiene.
• The second stage is called chronic periodontitis. People with chronic cases of Periodontal Disease, eventually have to have teeth extracted, as some of the bone is lost and teeth become loose. Although, periodontitis cannot be reversed once it has developed, you can prevent it from getting worse, if you clean your teeth properly and have regular treatment from your Dentist or Hygienist, who may recommend deep scaling or root planning.

What should I do if I suspect that I have gum disease?
You should visit your Dentist for an examination, so that they can check your teeth and gums and prescribe what treatment is required. Usually the Dentist will illustrate how to clean your teeth effectively in order to remove all of the plaque.

What can I do to help prevent gum disease?
Dentists recommend that you should use a small-headed toothbrush with 'rounded' bristles, so that it doesn't cause any damage to your gums. Your Dentist or Hygienist may also recommend other ways of cleaning the difficult to reach areas of your mouth, such as the joints between teeth and under the gum line. Using dental floss can be very useful to clean these areas.

Root Planing & Curettage (Deep Scaling)

What is it?
Root planing is used to clean the parts of teeth which are below the gum-line and cannot be reached with a toothbrush. This can result in gum disease and gum 'pockets' can start to develop around the teeth. This means that the bone supporting the teeth can become lost. Root planing is used to clean out the gum 'pockets' and remove plaque and tartar from the tooth roots.

What does this treatment involve?

• This treatment is often performed under a local anaesthetic and may require you to make more than one visit, depending on whether your mouth is treated in sections.
  
• There are two different tools that are used for root planning. The hand scaler comes in various sizes and shapes to enable your Dentist to reach all parts of the tooth and to ensure that the tooth and its root are completely clean. The electric scaler is then used, which vibrates with water. The water circulates around the mouth to thoroughly clean out the mouth, which is then removed using suction.
  
• After this treatment you will need to be careful when cleaning the teeth above the gum-line, as the root planning should cause the gum pocket to shrink, resulting with the gum sitting closer to the tooth.
  
• This treatment is generally repeated on a regular basis.

What are the benefits?

• Root planing is beneficial, as it stops gum disease from getting worse and can prevent tooth loss.
• Although this treatment can help you to keep your mouth clean and healthy at home, you should not solely rely on this treatment for keeping your mouth healthy. However, it is important that you maintain a healthy mouth.

Scaling & Polishing

What is a 'scale and polish'?
Your Dentist or Hygienist will use a 'scale and polish' when your teeth require a thorough clean to remove all traces of plaque and tartar. Scaling is used to remove the hard tartar on your teeth, which cannot be removed by simply brushing your teeth. The polishing stage helps to clean away stains from your teeth, which may have been caused by coffee, tea or red wine. If you suffer with gum disease, you will require a deeper scaling, which is called 'root planning'. As this treatment cleans all around the roots of the teeth, your Dentist or Hygienist may discuss the option of giving you a local anaesthetic, so that it doesn't feel too sensitive and uncomfortable. There are two different types of scalers that can be used to scale your teeth. Hand scalers come in different shapes and sizes, to enable different parts of your teeth to be cleaned. Electric scalers use very fast vibration with water. The water is sucked out of your mouth. To polish your teeth, a rotating brush or rubber polisher with toothpaste will be used.

Is regular scaling and polishing beneficial?
Having a regular 'scale and polish' will help you to maintain healthy teeth and gums, as it will make it easier for you to keep them clean at home. As this treatment will thoroughly clean your teeth, they will look and feel different. If your gums bleed when you brush your teeth, this may be the early signs of gum disease and you should tell your dentist. Using regular scaling your dentist or hygienist can help prevent gum disease getting worse. This will also prevent bad breath, as this can be caused by gum disease.

Bad Breath

What causes bad breath?
The most frequent cause of bad breath is bacteria in the mouth. It is important to remember that bad breath is not a sign of ill health and most adults occasionally suffer from it. Although, gum disease can cause bad breath, people with healthy teeth and gums can still suffer with it. In such cases the smell comes from the back of the tongue and will get stronger, as you mouth becomes drier.

Can my dentist help?
If you are concerned about bad breath, you should discuss this with your Dentist. You should ensure that you do not try to hide the smell of your breath in any way, as it will make it difficult for the dentist to distinguish where the problem is coming from. Generally good oral hygiene will resolve bad breath, so your Dentist or Hygienist will probably give you a scale and polish to make it easier to keep your mouth clean at home. There are also instruments that can be used to measure sulphur compounds in the mouth or swelling around the gums.

How can I help?

• Brush your teeth twice a day and ensure that you use a fluoride toothpaste.
• Your Dentist may advise that you use floss. If so, you should smell the floss after you have used it, to check if there is a smell from a particular part of your mouth. This will enable you to take extra care to clean that area.
• If your tongue is heavily coated, you can gently brush it, which should help to get rid of the smell.
• When your mouth becomes dry the smell of your breath will often get stronger. Chewing sugar-free gum will help to reduce this problem, as it increases the flow of saliva around the mouth.
• Smoking can also make your breath smell. Therefore, it is important to try to give up, not only to resolve the problem of bad breath, but to also help you to maintain a healthy mouth and body.