How do I Treat Gum Disease?

How do I get rid of my gum disease?  

There are several stages of gum disease or periodontitis. If gum disease is caught early, you can prevent long-term damage to your mouth, teeth and gums.  

What does gum disease look like? 

In the early stages, some common symptoms to look out for are sore gums and bleeding when you brush or floss. As the disease gets worse you might also notice your breath smells and your gums change colour. Healthy gums are light pink and feel quite firm. With gum disease, your gums might look puffy and change to dark red or purple.  

Other signs to look out for are gums lifting away from your teeth or a receding gumline near one or more teeth.  

What are the stages of gum disease? 

There are different stages of gum disease, and some stages are more manageable than others.   

Early stage: Gingivitis 

Gingivitis is very common. Around 70% of all New Zealanders are thought to have it. As gingivitis doesn’t cause bone loss it’s the only treatable stage of gum disease. At this stage, you might notice that your gums bleed slightly when you brush or floss. Your gums might also look a little bit puffy. If you have built up tartar behind your teeth there’s a good chance, you’ll have gingivitis. Tartar produces bacteria which can lead to gingivitis.  

How to treat gingivitis 

Start by booking an appointment with a dental hygienist. They will do a thorough check of your teeth and gums and perform a clean and polish to remove plaque and tartar from your mouth.  

To treat gingivitis, you’ll need to develop a consistent hygiene routine. At your appointment your oral health therapist will discuss your current routine and give you tips to improve it, like: 

• Switching to an electric toothbrush  
• flossing every day, and  
• using a proper flossing technique  

Once you’ve seen a dental hygienist stay on top of your gum health by brushing and flossing in the morning and at night.  

Mild stage: Mild periodontitis 

Once the bacteria from gum disease gets beneath the gum line, gingivitis becomes periodontitis. In mild cases you’ll start to see the gums pull away from your teeth. This creates pockets where bacteria, plaque and food particles can become trapped and progresses the disease further. Once your gums recede, they won’t return to their original position.  

How to treat mild periodontitis 

You can’t reverse gum receding from mild periodontitis, but you can prevent it from getting worse. If you’ve noticed your gums receding, you’ll need to see an oral hygienist right away. At your appointment they’ll take measurements of your gums (and any pockets) and can keep track of them over time.  

Your oral hygienist may also recommend scaling and root planing. This is similar to a clean and polish except it removes plaque and tartar from below the gum line.  

If your gum recession is bad, your oral hygienist might recommend a soft tissue graft. This helps replace some of the lost gum tissues and prevents your teeth from becoming loose. 

Moderate stage: Moderate periodontitis 

At this stage, your periodontitis is doing irreversible damage to your oral health. Bacteria is starting to erode the ligaments, soft tissue and bone that keep your teeth in place. New symptoms might include pus around the gum line and general gum pain.  

How to treat moderate periodontitis 

People with moderate or advanced periodontitis might require pocket reduction surgery to help remove plaque and tartar from beneath the gumline. During surgery, a periodontist will cut a flap in the gum to expose the roots. They can temporarily move the gums away from the teeth and clean bacteria from below the gumline. Once cleaned they will close the incision with stitches.  

Your periodontist might also recommend pocket reduction surgery which helps reduce the size of your gum pockets. 

Advanced stage: Advanced periodontitis 

With advanced periodontitis, bone loss in the jaw gets worse. At this stage your teeth will become loose and may even start to fall out.  

How to treat advanced periodontitis 

Bone loss or teeth loss due to advanced periodontitis is irreversible but you can still manage it with proper treatment. A bone graft can help replace some of the bone lost in your jaw. During surgery a periodontist will clean the infection, they can place bone grafting material into the jaw. Your body will use this scaffolding to regenerate the bone over time. Gum grafting can also replace lost gum tissue by extending the gum line. 

What’s causing my gum disease? 

Bacteria from plaque and tartar are the cause of gum disease. This is why simple oral health habits like brushing your teeth after you eat, flossing every day and avoiding too many sugary foods are so important. These habits will remove plaque from your mouth and keep your teeth healthy.  

Even if you do brush and floss every day, there are some parts of your mouth that can be hard to reach with just a toothbrush. It’s a good idea to schedule an annual appointment with an oral health therapist. They use special motorised tools to remove plaque from all those hard-to-reach places.  

Do I have gum disease if my gums don’t hurt? 

Sore gums aren’t a good sign of whether you have gum disease. A lot of people only develop soreness or gum pain in the moderate stages of periodontal disease. By this stage you will have already experienced gum loss and some damage to the soft tissue in your mouth. 

The best way to know if you have gum disease is to book an appointment with a dentist. At Gentle Dental our oral health therapists, will thoroughly clean and polish your teeth and gums to remove any built-up plaque or tartar from those hard-to-reach places. Book an appointment today.