Do I have Gum Disease?

Do I have gum disease?

The answer is probably “yes” as almost everyone has the condition to some degree at some time in life.

Well, what is gum disease.
Gum disease, gingivitis or in the more advanced form periodontitis to give it its correct title, is a longstanding infection and breakdown of the gums caused by the presence of bacteria which collect in the plaque which accumulates on uncleaned areas of the teeth.

How do I know if I have gum disease?
In the initial stages the gums will bleed, especially on brushing or biting into hard food such as apples. Later, the teeth will loosen and a persistent bad taste may be present in the mouth.

Sounds terrible. What can I do?
All long term treatment of gum disease is based on removing and controlling plaque deposits on the teeth. There are two aspects to this:
1.   Regular scaling and polishing in the surgery at appropriate intervals for your mouth.
2.   High standard of home care monitored and checked by your dentist.

If it is a bacterial infection, why not just give me a course of antibiotics?
It will only work for a short time. A healthy mouth has a natural level of bacteria with which it copes happily. Any attempt to destroy this balance will run the risk, amongst other things, of encouraging fungal infections.

Can I improve my resistance to gum disease by diet etc.?
It is highly unlikely that you are suffering from a dietary deficiency.
There is at present no vaccine for gum disease to improve your natural inherited resistance.

Does anything make my resistance worse?
Certain diseases, such as diabetes and long term steroid treatment can reduce resistance to  disease in general, including gum disease.
Old age is not in itself a cause of disease, but many long term medications give rise to a dry mouth which can worsen plaque accumulation and thus gum disease.
The one factor which you can control to improve the chances of successful treatment is to give up smoking.

I have no pain. Will I get any?
It is quite possible for gum disease to progress for many years with no painful episodes what­soever.

I have heard of people having operations for this. Is it unavoidable?
Surgery can help in certain cases but is not a curative operation in itself. It is only of value if combined with a high level of plaque control.

What if I do nothing about this condition?
If you are blessed with a high level of resistance to gum disease you may go your entire life without losing a single tooth. It is more likely, however, that the end result will be the loosen­ing and ultimate loss of teeth.