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Oral Hygiene.
“Life is nice with clean teeth and healthy gums.”
FAQs on Oral hygiene
Q. What is gum disease?
“Gum disease” describes a range of conditions that affect the supporting tissues for the teeth. The supporting tissues comprise both the gum tissue, the bone, and the ligaments that connects the teeth to the bone.
Gum disease generally starts out as gingivitis and can then progress into periodontal disease.
Q. What is gingivitis?
Gingivitis is an early sign of gum disease. You may notice gingival swelling between your teeth, bleeding gums when brushing and possible bad breath.
Gingivitis is caused by the bacteria in dental plaque (biofilm), which reside around the gum line. Regular scale and cleans with our dentist and good oral hygiene can help you to manage gingivitis.
Q. What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease is a progression from gingivitis, with 2 distinct clinical characteristics; the presence of a pocket around a tooth and subsequent loss of supporting bone and tissue. The pocket forms a protected environment for more bacteria and the condition progresses. If left untreated periodontal disease may cause abscesses and tooth mobility and if left unchecked tooth loss.
There is strong evidence that the presence of periodontal disease is an indicator for diabetes, pre term low birth weight babies and coronary artery disease.
Current research also suggests a relationship between periodontal disease and kidney and respiratory disease, however more research is required.
As such it is very important to have this disease treated. Treatment in most cases entails deep subgingival scaling to remove hardened plaque.
Prevention is best. To a large extent periodontal disease can be prevented by good oral hygiene and early intervention when problems are identified. See your dentist regularly.
Q. What are the warning signs to periodontal disease?
- Bleeding gums when you brush your teeth
- bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth
- sensitive teeth or gums
- loose teeth
- receding gums
Q. How do I improve my overall oral health?
At Just Dental Care, we believe that to improve your overall oral health you need to consider you oral hygiene, diet, frequency of grazing, the types of medications that you may be on, and how often you visit your dentist for regular check ups and cleans.
To improve your oral health regular twice daily brushing, and flossing is important. This helps to remove any residual food between your teeth. Mouthwash that contains chlorhexididine e.g colgate plax, savacol is beneficial as an adjunct to physical cleaning. Mouthwash should be used at least 3 times a week just before you sleep so that it the mouthwash stays on your teeth as long as possible.
Diet is another important consideration. If you consume lots of sugary or acidic foods you increase your chances of getting tooth decay. It is also better to snack less frequently if possible in order to reduce the amount of acid being created in your mouth over time.
We advise to drink lots of water and milk (if not lactose intolerant) and to chew sugar free gum to stimulate saliva flow. If you must drink soft drinks, drink it through a straw.
Some medications can cause you to get a dry mouth, which increases the chances of getting tooth decay. Products like Biotene and GC Dry mouth can help.
At Just Dental Care we advise regular 6 monthly dental visits. This means that you have a professional caring for your oral health. We will ensure your gums and teeth remain clean, and that you are free of dental decay.
Q. How often should I floss?
At Just Dental Care we advise flossing twice a day or more often if you get food stuck between your teeth.
Flossing is the physical removal of food and bacteria from between your teeth. It is an important way to reduce decay developing.
If you are unsure on how to floss see a video by Colgate under videos.