Looking for gum disease treatments?

20 September 2016

Looking for gum disease treatments?

Looking for gum disease treatments in Richmond? Or even for bone grafting Richmond?

No need to go far. Just nearby, Smile Studios has a certified NHS dentist in Heston as well as dentists Palmer Green.

Gum disease is a relatively common condition. It can affect anyone at any given point in time. At its early, mildest stage, it is called gingivitis. It is a non-serious gum disease characterised by red, swollen and tender gums that usually bleed when brushing the teeth. Often, gingivitis is also accompanied by chronic bad breath. Gingivitis comes about when plaque is allowed to build up sufficiently in the mouth. When this happens, the gums become irritated, then sore. Plaque, a sticky, colourless film of bacteria, food debris and saliva, can not only irritate the gums. It can cause tooth decay as well.

Gingivitis, if left untreated, can progress to become periodontitis, a more advance stage of the disease. Here pockets form between the teeth and within the inner layer of the gums. As these pockets grow progressively deeper, they allow accumulation of even more plaque. Eventually they destroy gum tissues and bone. They also loosen the teeth. Gum disease, if neglected, can also lead to complications like acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG), a condition marked by ulcerations between adjacent teeth. Unless treated, ANUG can completely destroy gum tissues. In rare cases, it can even lead to gangrene in the cheeks and lips. So for early gum disease treatments. why not have a checkup at Smile Studios’ NHS dentist in Heston or Palmer Green.

Plaque, the primary cause of gum disease, is relatively easy to remove. Good oral hygiene can prevent, even treat mild gingivitis. Brushing the teeth using fluoride toothpaste for at least two minutes at least twice a day, flossing the teeth and cleaning the tongue, visiting the dentist at least every year for checkups and getting regular professional dental cleaning will usually suffice to keep you free from gum disease. During a professional cleaning session, your dentist will routinely scrape of the plaque and tartar, which is plaque that has already hardened, from above and below each tooth’s gum line. In certain cases, if your dentist finds that you have too much accumulated tartar below the gum line, you may be asked to undergo scaling and planning procedures. This is done under local anesthesia and involves a deeper cleaning of the gums to completely remove bacteria from the roots of the teeth.

Periodontal disease at its advance stages may already necessitate surgical treatment. For instance, the Smile Studios’ NHS dentist in Heston or Palmer Green can provide surgical remedies that can help regenerate bone and tissue destroyed by bacteria. First, we make sure that the affected area is completely free of bacteria, then we make bone or soft tissue grafts and/or introduce tissue-stimulating proteins to help regenerate the damaged structures. We do soft tissue and bone grafting as well as cosmetic or restorative surgery to repair any disfigurement that may have been left behind by gum disease complications. We can provide flap surgery or pocket reduction surgery for those who have been afflicted by severe periodontitis. These procedures will not only improve the appearance of their smile by reducing the pockets or the space between tooth and gum, it will also decrease their risk of gum disease recurrence.