Periodontal Treatment
Periodontics (gum disease treatments)
Gum diseases are some of the most common infections worldwide but many people are unaware that they have them, as there are very few symptoms until the infection is fairly advanced. Things to look out for are bleeding gums, sensitive gums, bad breath, and receding gums, as these are the earlier signs of gum disease.
There are many types of gum disease, and contrary to popular belief, they affect young as well as older people. Heredity does play some part in gum diseases so if members of your family have gum disease then a through examination is advisable. Gum disease has also been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to the bacteria in the mouth getting into the blood stream.
Lifestyle also impacts on how severely you can be affected by gum disease. So a good nutritious diet, and particularly vitamin C, is a good starting point. Smoking is one of the most destructive things you can do, as not only do smokers get more severe gum disease, they also lose there teeth much earlier. Our Hypnotherapist can help you with giving up smoking.
Prevention & Treatment
Gum disease can be prevented with good oral hygiene and regular visits to your dentist or the Dental Hygienist. Once gum disease is established there are a number of treatments available and Dr Graham Barnby has a special interest in treating gum disease. The treatment is usually carried out after making the area numb followed by home care regimes to stabilize the disease.
More advanced gum disease may require more specialized techniques for treatment and for this we work with a periodontist. However for a majority of patients with gum problems some special cleaning of the teeth with enthusiastic home care particularly between the teeth can stabilize the disease process.
Remember – if you have a problem with a tooth, you may loose it, if you have a problem with your gums, you might loose all your teeth!!