Look After Your Gums – It Really Pays Off!

Dental hygienist, Alison Lowe, looks at why you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of healthy gums.

If you take a look at the team page on Mike Allen’s Dental Practice website, you will see that there are currently three dental hygienists within the practice. This is because we firmly believe that a preventive oral care strategy will pay dividends for our Burton patients.

Generally speaking, most people who see a dentist, will do so on a fairly regular basis. Hygienist appointments however, may be a little more sporadic, with some people perhaps never even seeing a hygienist at all. In our view, and that of the dental profession in general, this is something that should be encouraged, and here are just a few reasons why.

Gum disease

Periodontitis especially, is a serious problem that causes not only gum problems, but also causes degradation of the supportive bone tissue. As the bone deteriorates, the tooth supported by it will become loose. This lack of stability can make eating difficult and uncomfortable, and, if not treated successfully, there is every possibility that the tooth will eventually fall out.

Both periodontitis and its earlier stage, gingivitis, can cause quite a lot of discomfort, with sore, inflamed and bleeding gums amongst other things.

Halitosis treatment

Whilst some food and drinks can cause temporary bad breath, this will usually go a little while after you have consumed them. If you have gum disease though, the bacteria which contribute to this will expel gases as they eat away at the gum tissue. These gases can be quite foul smelling and much worse than the smell of garlic on your breath!

The only way to permanently rectify this problem is through gum disease management treatment. This will usually involve a discussion as to how you can better look after your gums, with cleaning and dietary advice for example. We will also perform a treatment known as a ‘scale and polish’. This is a non invasive treatment that removes hardened bacteria from the teeth and the gum line, leaving your mouth much cleaner and healthier. This should not be a one off treatment, but should be carried out every six months or so; more frequently if you are a diabetic or in another high risk group. If you have more advanced gum disease, we may refer you to the care of a specialist gum dentist known as a periodontist.

Whiter teeth

Here’s a little ‘secret’ which some patients may not know about, but which will hopefully persuade more people to see one of our Burton hygienist team on a regular basis. The scale and polish treatment not only clears tartar from the teeth, but also staining substances that have stuck to the teeth over time. This, followed by a high speed polish, can remove quite a lot of surface discolouration from your teeth, giving them a visible boost. It should be noted that this will not do so to the degree of a teeth whitening procedure, but, nonetheless, it is a bonus that is certainly worth having.

If you have never seen a hygienist, or have not done so for some time, it is one of the most straightforward and affordable ways that you can give your mouth health a real boost. Appointments to see one of the dental hygienists at Mike Allen’s Dental Practice can be made by calling us on 01283 845345.

Alison Lowe is a dental hygienist team at Mike Allen’s Dental Practice (GDC registration 4540).