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If you’ve woken up, gone to do your normal daily brush and all of a sudden found yourself spitting blood, then you could be seriously worried about gum disease. We’ve all seen the scary tooth loss adverts, so it’s no wonder there’s panic at the first sight of blood, but there’s really a long way to go before you reach that stage! You could have even heard the old wives’ tales that gum disease is incurable and that once you have it, you can never truly get rid of it! Let’s put this to bed straight away: not true! There is plenty our dentist in Tunbridge Wells can do in sorting out your gums.
What is gum disease?
Gum disease is what happens when plaque and tartar build up around the base of the teeth and gums. When the area isn’t being cleaned properly, the acids begin to release nasty germs that tell the body something is wrong, and because our bodies are actually super smart, they start to fight against the germs, just as they would when dirt gets into a wound. The body does this by sending signals to the infected area, causing it to inflame and fill with blood. Although back in the Stone Age, this was great as it was a way of killing off the affected area of the body and fighting the infection, these days, we want to keep our teeth rather than lose them.
How can our dentist in Tunbridge Wells help?
First off, the second you think you are showing signs of gum disease, you should be coming in to see us at Woodbury Park Dental! There’s no point waiting and hoping that it will go away because it won’t. Once gum disease has started, only a proper deep clean will be enough to get those germs on their way out! What do we mean by a proper deep clean?
When our dentist in Tunbridge Wells has assessed you, it’s highly likely they will recommend that you have an appointment with the hygienist. A hygienist is a special type of dental professional who purely takes care of the health of teeth and gums. They have expert tools they use to perform what we call a scale and polish, which is a certain type of deep clean! This deep clean will remove all the build-up of plaque and tartar and stop the body from fighting against itself and sending blood to the area.
How to stop gum disease from coming back
Keeping gum disease at bay is actually far simpler than you might think; it’s all down to making sure you’re keeping on top of your oral hygiene routine. Lots of patients still think it’s enough to brush their teeth once in the morning and leave it at that, but unfortunately, this just isn’t the case. You need to brush twice a day at the bare minimum, paying lots of attention to the gum line. Flossing is also crucial and the only way to get between the teeth and into the gum line.