However, without it, the mouth can become diseased and smelly. Quite simply, gum care is the removal of bacteria to prevent the gums becoming swollen and red. This is gingivitis! Everyday patients brush and hopefully floss their teeth! But, no one, not even dentists are perfect cleaners!
We all leave behind some bacteria which over-time hardens to become tartar or in dentist speak – calculus! This then impedes our ability to remove the day to day bacteria or plaque.
Diseased gums are seldom painful but are responsible for bad breath or ‘halitosis’.
If unchecked gum disease can involve destruction of the gum and bone that supports the teeth and hence lead to tooth mobility and tooth drifting.
Smoking, diabetes and a family history of gum disease are the main risk factors for the more severe variety and regular and thorough cleaning is the best treatment.
Most cleans are relatively straightforward and can be completed quickly.
However, those patients who have not had their teeth cleaned recently or who have been diagnosed with gum disease (where they have lost bone around their teeth) will require a more in-depth clean and instruction. This must be pain free and thorough to achieve the desired results.