Do You Have Gum Disease
Posted on March 9, 2010 - Filed Under Uncategorized |
As a starting point, most adults and very many children have gum disease, and whilst this sounds awful, and let?s face it gum disease is very widespread; indeed were it chicken influenza it could rightly be called a disease of pandemic proportions.
Having said that, and realising a comment like that is likely to panic some, it should be made very clear that a very large number of people have gum disease that is minor, and totally reversible with the correct care and attention. So you can probably relax, but do not lower your guard for one second. To help you understand; the vast majority of older people lose their natural teeth because the reversible early gum disease became advanced, and eventually became irreversible.
With no apologies for perhaps being a little over dramatic, and you might argue overstating the case, let us take a look at gum disease, and how you might discover you are a sufferer. By the way it isn?t contagious, so you won?t catch it from your partner, unless you have one of a very very few conditions in your mouth, and quite honestly you should not be worried at all about them.
OK, so firstly if you are reading this article the first thing to know is whether or not you attend your dentist regularly. This on its own is very important, and then ask yourself the question about whether or not your dentist gave you a scale and polish at your last visit, or did they send you to see a dental hygienist who cleaned your teeth. If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then you probably do have gum disease, although at what stage it has reached you will need to ask your dental health professional, and then take their advice.
As far as you are concerned, the question is this. Do your gums bleed either when you brush your teeth, when you are chewing or just spontaneously?
If the answer is yes, then in all probability you have what is called gingivitis, and this is the first stage of gum disease, and it is totally reversible. Why have you got it, well it isn?t from kissing, or using someone else?s spoon. What it means is that you are not cleaning your teeth well enough. As a result you are leaving plaque on your teeth, especially in the little nooks and crannies by your gum. Plaque consists of food particles, millions of bacteria, and the debris from the cells that line your mouth that fall off all the time. People who starve themselves with nil by mouth still make plaque, and plaque is public enemy number one.
Fortunately there is a simple enough remedy, and that is to become a more effective mouth cleaner. To do this there is a small item easily bought from the chemist called Disclosing tablets, or Plaqsearch. They stain plaque either red or blue, and then your task is to clean it off until there is no more stain left. You will need a new toothbrush with a small head, and something called dental floss, the string you pull between your teeth, to remove plaque where the toothbrush won?t go, which is between your teeth, and under the gum line. Be prepared for a lot of bleeding. This is good, and you should redouble your efforts, and if you have caught your gingivitis early the bleeding will stop within a month.
As a precaution you need to follow this up with a visit to your dentist or at the very least a dental hygienist just to get a fitness check.
Author Bio: Sandy Gibson is the pseudonym of a practising dentist, author and newspaper correspondent. he also writes websites and suggests you check out his newest website Orthomatic Adjustable Beds and specifically Adjustable Bed Mattress
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