It can be seriously disheartening when you suddenly realise you’re suffering from bleeding gums, automatically our minds go to the first case scenario and we can envision ourselves losing teeth and giant dental bills. However, bleeding gums don’t need to be the disaster you might think and actually it can be a really good sign from our bodies that we need to take action and see a dentist in Parramatta rather than dismiss the signs.
Why do we develop gum disease?
So if you weren’t already aware, bleeding gums are actually a sign of gum disease which is medically termed gingivitis. It’s actually a pretty early sign that there’s trouble brewing which is why it can be a good thing to spot.
Gum disease happens when patients don’t have a good grip on their oral hygiene. Which is how we describe how we care for our teeth. Oral hygiene includes: brushing, flossing and dental check-ups.
When people don’t have a good oral hygiene routine in place it’s often the case that bacteria is left to build up in hard-to-reach areas, usually around and between the teeth and particularly around the back of the front teeth.
When bacteria builds up it turns to something called plaque which later hardens to tartar. These substances sit on the surface of the teeth and gums and release nasty acids into the body. These acids cause a chain reaction of physiological responses in the body.
The brain is told that something is in the body that shouldn’t be there and it needs to remove it, which is why blood is sent to the area, which is exactly what happens when a wound gets infected in any other area of the body.
This is why the gums turn red and inflamed and eventually begin to bleed. So although this is less than ideal it is actually the body in a roundabout way trying to take care of itself.
What can be done?
So the really good news is that treating gum disease is actually really easy if caught early. In the vast majority of cases seen by a dentist, a simple and quick trip to the hygienist will fix the issue.
The hygienist
For those who are unsure, the hygienist is a particular type of dental professional who purely cares for the health of the gums and oral hygiene in patients. They have tools which enable them to perform a scale and polish which is a deep clean of the gums. This clean will reverse the symptoms of gum disease and place teeth back into good health.
The second part of the hygienist’s role is to make sure that patients don’t end up back in the same position in six months, which goes back to oral hygiene. Oral hygiene can often be assumed to be up to scratch by the individual, but upon investigation dentists find there are actually big holes or not proper techniques being put into practice. The hygienists will go through all of this with you and help get oral hygiene to a better standard.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
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