3 Taylor Street West Pennant Hills NSW, 2125 AUS
WHAT IS GUM DISEASE?
Gum disease is the inflammation and infection of gums caused by poor oral hygiene maintenance. It is the one of the most under diagnosed condition in dentistry.
When you are diagnosed with gum disease, it means there are loss of bone volume around teeth in your mouth. Clinical signs of gum disease include, red swollen gums, bad breath, bad taste in the mouth, loose teeth, long looking teeth, gaps appearing between teeth, gum pocketing around teeth.
Long term untreated gum disease will result in loose teeth, gum abscess formation, Necrotising Ulcerative Gingivitis (This is a very painful gum condition
*Recent studies have also found that Covid 19 patients with gum disease are 9x more likely to die from COIVD infections.
DIAGNOSIS OF GUM DISEASE
At Taylor Street Dental, we perform gum disease screening process called CPITN at every check-up visit to check for any signs of gum disease. If gum disease is suspected.
We will then perform a full mouth Periodontal examination where we will measure and record the gum pocket depths, around 6 locations of each tooth. This gives us the information on the pattern of bone level around each tooth. We will also take an X-ray to assist this diagnosis process.
TREATMENT OF GUM DISEASE
The 5 key factors that determine the success of treatment of gum disease are:
- Quit smoking and drinking of alcohol.
- Systemic conditions such as Diabetes, Immunocompromised, heart conditions.
- Depending on the situation, an extended course of Antibiotics maybe required.
- Deep cleaning of each tooth from the top to the full depth of the pocket to remove all the bacteria and the toxins by the bacteria.
- Vigilant home oral hygiene maintenance and regular attendance for professional oral hygiene maintenance.
If you feel that you gums have never been looked at properly at your previous dental appointments and you are concerned about the condition of your gums. Call us to book an appointment. We are here to help.
