Periodontal or gum disease is a common problem that affects millions worldwide; it is best to get this disorder treated at the very beginning before it flares up and causes serious damage to your oral health. In addition, it can also affect your smile making you lose confidence and shy away from social gatherings. There are various ways by which you can effectively treat gum disease in Leeds.
Two most commonly employed non-surgical methods to treat gum disease include scaling and root planing. In this, the root surfaces are cleaned of any deposited plaque, tartar and calculus; it also helps to smoothen out the roots thus removing bacterial toxins that get deposited from food. The other non-surgical treatments for gum disease include adjunctive therapy with antibiotics and host modulation but these are only done if necessary for the patient.
If your gum disease cannot be controlled by non-surgical options, then periodontal surgical techniques may have to be employed. These include various procedures like pocket reduction, soft tissue grafts, crown lengthening and regenerative therapy. It is best to consult a specialized dentist who can guide you in the right path after assessing the extent of gum disease. Sometimes cosmetic procedures are also recommended to enhance your smile and give you naturally looking teeth.
If you have lost one or more teeth due to gum disease, then you may also have to go in for dental implants or crowns to fix this problem. So don’t keep waiting; see a dentist at the earliest and treat gum disease before it causes more damage.
Posts Tagged ‘tartar’
Get Gum Disease Treated in Leeds
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010Bad breath may be caused by you, not your teeth; says a City ofl Leeds dentist
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Acid production in the mouth is a major cause of bad breath, it isn’t the only cause but it is a good place to start, says a City ofl Leeds dentist. The worse time of the day is at night when you`re asleep, that’s when most damage is done to your teeth enamel from acid. The saliva gland stops working, and that allows your mouth to be used as an acid production factory by the bacteria that comes with your food. It is so important to clean your teeth, floss and rinse before going to bed; this will remove most of the food debris caught in between the teeth. The acid is produced by the bacteria feeding off the debris, with no saliva to neutralise it, it produces excessive amounts that then attacks the enamel. The acid also kills off the bacteria and this is then deposited onto the teeth as tartar, which is the hard, rough coating that your dentist will remove every 6 months on your check ups. Drinking water at night will also keep the acid at bay, then first thing in the morning rinse with a good mouth wash. If you do this as a regular regime, then bad breath will become a thing of the past and good riddance to it. During the day always give your teeth a quick flossing with a floss stick after every time you eat, and keep away from sugary drinks as they contain `food` in the form of sugar and fats for the bacteria to feed off.
How to prevent tooth and gum disease, by a Central Leeds dentist
Friday, June 11th, 2010
Tooth and gum is so easily prevented, says a Central Leeds dentist. All it takes is a simple regime in oral hygiene care, it doesn’t have to be complicated it just needs to be planned out using good advice that has been well researched. Where do you get this advice from? You can get it from the dental hygiene nurse at your dental practice. Start by getting the right brush for your teeth, then the right paste. It doesn’t have be the most expensive, just the right one. Your friendly chemist will be happy to advise you on that matter, or even better your dentist. Flossing is also important and so is choosing the correct floss, look at the description on the product to see which one is best for you. Saliva helps to keep down acid strength and production, but your saliva gland will stop working while you sleep, so keep water by your bed. Gum disease is mainly caused by a poor or incorrect oral hygiene regime, this will let acid build up and also attract tartar to your teeth, and both of these will result in you losing your teeth earlier than you should. Gum disease has also now been linked to heart and other organ diseases, this is thought to come about as bad bacteria leaks into the blood system and corrupts the cells in the blood. Just by using a bit of common sense and being regular with your dental care regime, you`ll keep gum disease and early tooth loss at bay. Once gum disease starts to recede your gums, the process becomes irreversible and the damage accelerates with devastating and expensive results. Just remember that prevention is always preferable to getting a problem cured, and all it takes with teeth is a good oral hygiene plan and discipline.
Get that dentist clean feel with scaling and polishing at Central Leeds dentist
Friday, May 7th, 2010
The clean feeling you get after you have been to the dentist is hard to beat and almost impossible to recreate at home, no matter how hard you try to clean your teeth. That is because dentists are experts and able to use special tools and techniques to get your teeth as clean as they can possibly be. This will almost always involve techniques called scaling and polishing.
Scaling is the process of using a small, sharpened hook to scrape the plaque and tartar away from the surface of the teeth. Plaque builds up around the surface enamel of the teeth and causes erosion, which leads to cavities, the main cause of tooth decay and infection. Plaque can be removed at home with brushing and flossing but if allowed to remain will eventually become tartar. This is an ugly yellow-brown substance that discolours the teeth and also continues to erode the enamel. Tartar can be removed by scaling, which not only returns the teeth to a whiter, more natural and healthy colour, but also protects them against further damage from erosion. The dentist or hygienist will carefully scale all the areas of the teeth, removing built up plaque and tartar by scraping it loose. This may sound a lot more unpleasant than it actually is and is in fact an almost completely painless procedure.
After the teeth have been fully scaled they can then be polished. This involves buffing the surface of the teeth with an electric cleaner. This not only makes the teeth look much better, but also leaves them very smooth and more difficult for plaque to cling to. This can be carried out as a one off procedure or part of a wider smile makeover. Ask your Central Leeds dentist for more information about scaling and polishing.
City of Leeds dentists warn of the dangers of smoking and gum disease
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
Many smokers need to be made more aware of the risks that they are putting themselves under. In a recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Association it as found that only a third of smokers considered themselves to be at a greater risk of heart disease than non-smokers. Whether they are just tuned out to the dangers or completely ignorant is unclear, but they are also placing themselves at risk of many other health complications.
City of Leeds dentists are keen to make smokers realise that they are also significantly increasing their chances of periodontal or gum disease. As well as this, smoking has been found to dramatically slow the healing process of any dental treatment patients may have undergone.
Smoking makes you far more likely to suffer form plaque and tartar and also increases the risks of developing pockets between the teeth and gums where disease can begin and take hold. Plaque and tartar that is not removed can begin to eat away at tooth enamel and gum tissue which, if left untreated, can become full blown periodontal disease.
This can result in tooth loss, bleeding and painful gums and even heart disease. Severe gum disease is treated either with a course of antibiotics, tissue removal or in some cases hospitalisation. It is therefore very important to understand the links between smoking and gum disease and to do all that you can to prevent it. City of Leeds dentists can provide you with more information and advice on the best ways to give up smoking or at least keep your teeth clean and healthy while you still smoke.
Cleaner teeth with scaling and polishing from City of Leeds dentist
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
There is no feeling quite as clean as that of just having had your teeth cleaned by a dentist or dental hygienist. No mater how thoroughly you brush and floss at home you can never get that ‘straight from the dentist’ clean feeling. Dentists and hygienists use techniques known as scaling and polishing to clean teeth as thoroughly as possible, which while sometimes a little unpleasant, are very necessary to keep teeth healthy.
Scaling involves the careful use of the ominous looking little scaling hook to remove hardened plaque, commonly called tartar from the teeth. Plaque itself can be removed at home by brushing and flossing, but in hard to reach places it can often become hard. It is necessary to remove plaque and tartar as they cause inflammation of the gums and dental decay, both of which can cause nasty infections and ultimately tooth loss. Tartar is very difficult to remove and needs the skilful use of scaling by the dentist to scrape from the surface of the tooth.
Polishing is the process of thoroughly cleaning the surface of the teeth usually using an electric polisher. This smoothes the surface of the enamel, removing plaque and minor stains. This makes the teeth feel very clean and smooth and makes it difficult for plaque to cling to the surface of the teeth. City of Leeds dentists offer scaling and polishing as part of a regular dental check up pr hygiene appointment to help keep teeth as clean and healthy as possible. They are two of the simplest yet most effective ways to keep teeth free form the damage caused by plaque and tartar.
Look after your teeth with check up from City of Leeds dentist
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
It is all too easy to get complacent when it comes to your teeth. One or two all clear appointments and a lack of any pain or noticeable difficulty can lead to several years of missed six-monthly check-ups and then all of a sudden it can be too late and you’ve lost a tooth to decay.
While it is true that we can look after our teeth fairly effectively with efficient cleaning and the right lifestyle choices, it is only with the regular supervision of a dentist that you can be completely sure that your teeth are healthy. Dental decay is caused by plaque acid eroding the enamel. This is a gradual process that can happen over many months or even years and often happens in parts of the mouth that are quite difficult to clean effectively and also hard to see. City of Leeds dentists will be able to thoroughly examine all parts of your mouth to ensure that plaque, or tartar as it is called when it hardens, is not damaging your teeth.
Like all health problems, tooth decay and gum erosion are most easily treated in their early stages. The longer you leave it, the more damage is done and the more painful it will be. It will also require significantly more treatment if it has been allowed to develop, which may prove very costly. The absence of dental pain does not mean that your teeth are not under attack from disease and it really is your responsibility to prevent this at all costs.
A six-monthly check up is quick and easy and the more regularly you stick to this plan, the less the risk is of any nasty dental problems arising.
Central Leeds dentist helps remove bacteria that cause gum disease
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
There are over 350 types of bacteria found in the average human mouth but many of these have no real harmful effects. However, about 5 per cent of these bacteria are responsible for causing gum disease if not removed by brushing and flossing.
Gum disease is characterised by the painful inflammation and loss of gum tissue because of bacterial infection. Most people will experience some kind of gum disease in their life ranging from very mild to very serious. Mild gum disease is known as gingivitis and can be treated easily with improved oral hygiene and advice form a Central Leeds dentist. More serious gum disease, which usually occurs as a result of ignored gingivitis, is known as periodontitis and can result in anti-biotic treatment, tooth loss and even emergency surgery. Gum disease can be very serious as it has strong links to heart disease as the oral infection can easily spread into the blood stream.
It is bacteria that build up in the mouth that causes the infection responsible for gum disease. This bacteria releases acid which irritates and destroys soft tissue causing the infection. Bacteria exist in a substance called plaque which clings like a film to the teeth and gums if not removed by brushing and flossing. Plaque can easily be removed but not after it has hardened to become tartar.
Most instances of gum disease are easily preventable with better dental care and advice from your dentist. Take a few more minutes each day to clean your teeth and prevent the possibility of gum disease in your mouth.
Extra dental care from dental hygienist at Leeds dentist
Sunday, December 27th, 2009
A relatively new weapon in the war against dental disease is the dental hygienist. More and more dental practises across the country are using hygienists to supplement the treatment offered by the dentist, to provide the most comprehensive dental care possible.
Hygienists offer patients additional teeth cleaning work carried out in tandem with other dental treatment from the regular dentist. With longer, more focussed appointments than are often available from dentists themselves, hygienists can work on recommendation from the dentist on specific dental hygiene problems faced by patients.
This may include carrying out thorough cleaning involving scaling and polishing, removing plaque and tartar and offering more detailed advice on suitable products and cleaning advice for patients. They can also work with you to devise specialised cleaning plans to tackle any specific problems you may be having. This enables dentists to focus more on specialised treatment during appointments and has reduced waiting times for all patients. Dental hygienists generally have more flexible appointment hours than dentists so they may be able to provide cleaning treatments recommended by your dentist on a regular basis.
Recently it has also been approved for hygienists to use x-ray equipment, further expanding their feild of influence and ability to help patients. At your next appointment with a Leeds dentist, enquire about the possibility of also seeing the hygienist to give your teeth the best possible chance of staying healthy. As the role of the dental hygienist broadens they may be key to your future dental health so why not see for yourself, today.
Prevent painful gum disease with check up at City of Leeds dentist
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Gum disease is the infection of the gingival tissue that surrounds and supports teeth and occurs in two stages called gingivitis and periodontitis.
Gingivitis is the milder form of gum disease and is indicated by red, swollen gums that are prone to bleeding. Most people will suffer from some mild gingivitis at some point in there life and it is often so mild that it causes no pain and requires no treatment other than improved cleaning.
Periodontitis, on the other hand, is more serious and can be very unpleasant. It causes gums to pull away from teeth leaving exposed pockets where bacteria can grow damaging the bones that support the teeth. The gums continue to shrink back as the infection gets worse leaving loose teeth that will eventually fall out or need to be extracted by a dentist.
Gum disease, like dental decay, is caused by a filmy, bacteria-rich substance called plaque. Plaque is allowed to build up by ineffectual or irregular cleaning and releases toxins which irritate the gum tissue. If plaque is not removed by brushing and flossing it will continue to attack the gum tissue causing irreparable damage. Plaque that is not removed will also harden and transform into a tough, yellow substance called tartar which will need to be removed by a dentist. Several factors increase the risk of gum disease including smoking, stress and diabetes.
A dentist will be able to diagnose gum disease fairly simply at a routine check up and recommend the best form of treatment. Treatment ranges from mild steps like improved cleaning and dental scaling to tissue removal and antibiotics. The best form of treatment for gum disease however is prevention. Effective cleaning by brushing and flossing twice a day can help to prevent gum disease and help keep your teeth and gums healthy for life. It is also important that you keep up regular appointments with a City of Leeds dentist who will be able to examine your gums for the first signs of infection.