hi everyone and welcome to the six part educational series today we'll be covering
gum disease to watch all the videos before they're released on our channel make sure to
download the my dental care app from either the app store or the google play store let's get into
in this video we'll be talking about gum disease and its treatments if you're here
for anything in particular feel free to skip around using the time stamps on screen now
you might have heard your dentist say the word dental plaque but what is it well dental plaque
is a sticky colorless biofilm which simply means it is a collection of different types of bacteria
it grows on the surfaces of your teeth gums and soft tissues
its formation is a normal natural process which cannot be prevented
just one hour after brushing your teeth millions of these bacterias would have already grown back
so you may be wondering why even bother brushing your teeth in the first place well when dental
plaque first starts to develop it's very soft and easy to remove with effective tooth brushing
however by forgetting to brush twice a day or by missing certain areas with your toothbrush
you're leaving the dental plaque undisturbed this will allow the bacteria to increase in volume
change and may lead to gum disease over time dental plaque can pick up minerals
from your food and saliva which will cause it to become very hard and difficult to remove
at this stage is now called calculus or tartar so the aim is to implement a thorough oral hygiene
routine to remove soft plaque effectively twice a day before the plaque gets a chance to mature
or form calculus improving your oral hygiene will reduce your risk of gum disease once dental plaque
develops into calculus it becomes incredibly tough and cannot be removed with at home toothbrushing
you will need to visit a dental professional who will be able to remove this calculus using
special tools unfortunately more dental plaque can attach to deposits of calculus which in time
turns into even more calculus so there is an undesirable cycle of bacterial growth which
needs to be broken remember the longer plaque and calculus are left undisturbed the greater at risk
you are of developing gum disease so it's better to see your dentist sooner rather than later
gingivitis simply means inflammation of the gut and is a very common condition a
classic sign would be that your gums may bleed easily after brushing your teeth gingivitis is
caused by dental plaque which is a collection of different types of bacteria that naturally grow
around your teeth your body's natural protective response to these bacteria is the process of
inflammation which causes your gums to become red swollen and start to bleed easily the good news
is that the effects of gingivitis are completely reversible by simply improving your oral hygiene
this is achieved by improving your brushing technique and making sure you regularly remove
fresh dental plaque every day you can either watch our oral hygiene video or go to the oral
hygiene section in the my dental care app for some great tips to improve your oral hygiene
you should also visit your local dental practice who can help give you tailing advice if gingivitis
is left untreated in some cases it may lead to full-blown gum disease also known as periodontitis
so periodontitis is a destructive form of gum disease where you have loss of bone and
gum tissues that surrounds and supports your teeth the initiator of this is bacteria in dental plaque
and your body's natural protective response to these bacteria and their toxins the amount of
bone and gum tissue that you may lose depends on how long you've had the condition your risk
factors and your body's natural response to the type of bacteria in your dental plot therefore
this can vary from person to person gum disease is usually painless which is great however this
also means it can go unnoticed for a long period of time until the disease is at an advanced stage
if left untreated you can lose significant amounts of important gum and bone tissue
needed to support your teeth which will result in your teeth becoming wobbly or falling out this is
why it's essential for you to visit your dentist regularly so they may help to identify resolve or
slow down the progression of gum disease one way a dentist can identify gum disease is by
checking your gum pockets a gum pocket is a space which exists between your teeth and your gums
your gums are attached to the roots of your teeth which help support and secure your teeth in place
the gums separate from your teeth just below the crown this is a top part of your tooth
and this creates a small space called the gum pocket in a healthy mouth the gum pocket will
usually be between one to three millimeters deep and your dentist can detect this using a special
probe individuals who suffer from gum disease will have deeper gum pockets more than four millimeters
due to the destruction of the gum tissue attached to the roots of their teeth this creates a larger
pocket space which can allow more bacteria to grow and multiply over time this leads to
more destruction of gum tissue resulting in deeper pockets and more bacterial growth therefore there
is a negative cycle of destruction and bacterial growth which needs to be broken as this all occurs
below the gums it is very difficult for you to remove this buildup of bacteria by yourself
at this point you will need to visit a dentist or a hygienist who will have special tools to remove
the build-up of this bacteria below your gums this will allow your gums to heal and your gum
pockets to reduce in size if you suffer from gum disease you will usually need to see your
hygienist or dentist quite regularly until these pockets are reduced to a healthy and stable level
there are quite a few risk factors that can make you more prone to gum disease the first one is
smoking which can seriously affect both your general and oral health and is linked to many
preventable illnesses such as oral cancer lung disease and heart disease studies have shown
that tobacco use is a significant risk factor in the development and progression of gum disease
smokers tend to have poorer healing response to gum treatment and have an increased risk
of disease recurrence ironically smokers gums may actually appear healthier than non-smokers
even though they may have advanced gum disease this is because the nicotine in your cigarette
reduces the blood flow to the gums meaning less bleeding and the gums appearing less
swollen however what this really means is that smokers can be more unaware of gum problems
and it can go undetected for much longer if you're interested in stop smoking or need
any advice please visit the nhs go smoke free website or call the number on the screen now
another risk factor is poor oral hygiene having a poor brushing technique will allow dental plaque
to accumulate around your teeth this is the main risk factor which you can change and is a crucial
component to all successful gum treatment all types of dental gum treatment will still rely
on you being able to remove dental plaque for the treatment to be successful diabetics tend to have
a worse response in regards to gum healing after having gum treatment which makes treating gum
disease in a diabetic person more challenging the good news is that having well controlled diabetes
is not a risk factor for garnishes therefore by improving your diabetic control you will
effectively lower your risk of gum disease also the reverse is true meaning that your
gum disease can actually make your diabetes worse by negatively affecting your blood sugar control
studies have shown that gum treatment can improve your blood sugar control therefore it could have
the additional benefit of reducing the risk of diabetic complications another risk factor is
stress at times we can all become stressed it may be due to an important event coming up an exam or
even a simple friendly dental prolonged periods of stress can lead to suppression of your immune
system which might allow bacteria in your dental plaque to cause more harm to your gum tissue also
we tend not to look after ourselves as well as we would normally during times of stress if you
feel this describes your current situation then it may be helpful to look into some stress management
strategies or visit the nhs website on the latest guidelines about stress the final risk factor we
wanted to mention is genetics unfortunately with gum disease there is an element of host
susceptibility which essentially means you can be more or less prone to gum disease this comes
down to your genetics and your immune system some people are more susceptible than others however
this shouldn't be your excuse to not change other risk factors as they all have a part to play
now the best way to help prevent gum disease is to maintain great oral hygiene by using a good
brushing technique and a good hygiene routine the aim is to regularly remove fresh dental
plaque on all the surfaces of your teeth before it has a chance to grow and mature
see our oral hygiene videos or the oral hygiene section in the my dental care app for some great
tips and visit your local dentist who can give you personalized advice after toothbrushing
it may be helpful to occasionally use a plaque disclosing tablet to help identify the surfaces
of your teeth which have dental plaque remaining on them and require further cleaning make sure
to also clean in between your teeth at least once a day preferably before going to sleep
use interdental brushes to clean the spaces in between your teeth if the contacts between your
teeth are too tight then you should be using dental floss to clean these areas you should
also try to reduce any relevant modifiable risk factors for example by quitting smoking
reducing stress or improving the control of your diabetes your local dentist can regularly assess
the health of your gums help improve your oral hygiene and can start gum treatment if required
the first part of gum treatment starts with a patient improving their oral hygiene all methods
of gum treatment rely on the regular home removal of dental plaque in order to be successful this
is why we stress how important it can be to make sure you have a methodical approach and removing
dental plaque every day to make sure you have good oral health even after visiting a dentist or a
hygienist for a good thorough clean your gums will return to the same state in a matter of weeks if
you do not maintain your oral health and your oral hygiene therefore the majority of work is actually
done at home your dentist or dental hygienist will use special tools to remove the bacteria
around your teeth and in your gum pockets they may need to numb your gums before scaling as your gums
can be stored during and after treatment once a dental plaque and calculus have been removed
your gums should begin to heal with the calculus not being in the way it can be easier for you to
clean your teeth following gum treatment your gums can begin the healing process as they are
not being consistently harmed by the dental plaque and calculus in your mouth during this
time you will need to prevent the further build up of dental plug in order to allow continued healing
of your gums after a certain period of time your dentist should review the health of your gums
they will then determine how well your gums have responded to treatment and whether you
may need further treatment and any adjustments needed in your oral hygiene care in particular
cases gum surgery may be required or referral to a gum specialist may be advised unfortunately in
some cases the gum disease can still progress despite treatment however you can always help
to drastically slow the progression of gum disease and hold on to your teeth for as long as possible
the point at which your gums and your teeth meet is called your gum like gum recession
is when your gum line has moved away from the crown the top part of your teeth this
exposes the root of your teeth to the oral environment and this can make your teeth appear
longer and become more sensitive the roots of your teeth do not have a strong enamel layer covering
them so when exposed to the oral environment it can lead to sensitivity there can be a wide
variation in sensitivity experienced from person to person some people may have completely exposed
roots and no sensitivity whereas others have an intense sensitivity to the smallest of exposures
gum disease is the most common cause of gum recession however you should bear in mind that
garment recession actually is an indicator good healing is taking place after effective country
successful gun treatment will usually result in some type of gum recession some people naturally
have thin gums and in these situations this thin gum is prone to damage from excessive
tooth brushing smoking or even eating certain hard foods this type of recession is often inevitable
but is self-limiting and will not lead to tooth loss careful brushing using gentle pressure with a
soft to medium toothbrush should help to minimize this type of recession gun recession may occur
because of orthodontic treatment if the teeth have been moved too far forward you may naturally
have thin gum tissue and where your teeth have been repositioned this can lead to gum recession
during pregnancy, your gums are more susceptible to inflammation and bleeding this is because of
the natural hormonal changes during pregnancy which make your gums more reactive to dental
plaque this is also called pregnancy gingivitis so if you have notice that your gums are
bleeding easily or notice any blood on your toothbrush it would definitely be worthwhile
visiting your local dentist just to note that if you are suffering from morning sickness or
vomiting please do not brush your teeth straight after vomiting as the acids from your vomit will
temporarily soften your enamel try to wait at least 45 minutes before brushing your teeth
otherwise it could cause abrasive tooth wear just rinse your mouth out with water afterwards to
help neutralize and wash away the acids in your vomit you may wish to use a fluoride containing
alcohol-free mouthwash to help freshen your breath thank you for watching guys we hope
that you found these videos helpful and be sure to download the my dental care app