Gum Hygiene Treatment
Gum disease can set in any age. Its onset and development can be so slow and subtle that you don’t notice until it reaches the stage where you are in pain and at risk of losing teeth. Regular visits to your dentist will help you prevent gum disease and detect it before the condition becomes a serious problem.
Gum disease is normally caused by the following:
- Incomplete or inconsistent oral hygiene practices
- Smoking
- Overlapping or crooked teeth
- Medical conditions such as cancer and diabetes
- A diet high in carbohydrates and sugar
- Certain types of medication
- Stress
Plaque buildup will irritate your gums, causing them to bleed and allow bacteria to enter. This can result in a form of gum disease called gingivitis. Left untreated, the condition can develop into periodontitis, which causes your gums to recede and infection to set in.
Your dentist or dental hygienist at Quality Dental Practice will prevent and treat gum disease using hygiene treatments like the following:
- Tooth cleaning and scaling
- Fluoride rinses and gels
If we determine that your gum disease is advanced, we will refer you to a periodontal specialist who will treat it and monitor you for progress.
Good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups will help you prevent the onset of gum disease and reap the benefits of clean and healthy teeth.
Gum Disease
A healthy tooth.
Plaque builds up …
… gum and bone may begin to recede.
Sometimes the gum recedes with the bone and sometimes it doesn’t.
Either way the tooth may become mobile.
Periodontal Treatment
Plaque and calculus first need to be removed.
The pocket depths can be measured using a special probe.
It slips easily into the pockets.
Filling the pockets with Dentomycin …
… kills the bacteria.
The clean pockets start to heal.
The depth of the pockets is measurably reduced.
Sensitivity Treatment
The effects of gum disease can lower the gumline.
This will in turn expose the dentine of the root …
… which contains the tubules leading directly to the nerve.
Hot, cold & sometimes sweet foods can cause pain.
A special paste is available that can be applied …
… to provide some relief from this condition
Brush Abrasion
Scrubbing backwards and forwards …
… and using a brush which is too hard …
… can inflame the gums and even damage them.
Power Brushing
Angle the bristles at 45º to the gum line.
There’s no need to scrub – hold the brush in position …
… and after a few seconds sweep the bristles away from the gum.
Repeat around the outer and inner surfaces of all teeth.
Particularly effective inter-dentally.
The whole procedure should take about 2 minutes.
Manual Brushing
Use small circular movements with the brush held at 45 degrees to the tooth.
Move systematically around the mouth.
Remember to clean the inside surfaces …
… and the biting surfaces.
Don’t forget behind the top and bottom teeth.
A good technique will take 2 minutes.
Flossing
Debris accumulates between the teeth.
If not removed, bacteria will develop and plaque will form.
Use the floss with a back and forth motion …
… and with a vertical action until all the plaque is removed.
Work the floss gently under the gum.
Tongue Cleansing
85% of bad breath originates in the mouth, most of which comes from the tongue.
Stagnating plaque bacteria and food debris can give off an offensive odour.
Tongue cleansing removes unwanted bacteria from the tongue’s surface …
… and the tongue-coating that cause bad breath
TongueDetox is designed to make tongue cleaning easy and comfortable.
Use daily for fresher breath, improved taste and a healthier mouth.
Mini Flosser
Cleaning between the teeth is an essential part of a daily oral hygiene regime.
Conventional flossing can be difficult especially when the teeth are very close together.
The Miniflosser can help gain access to the interdental areas with floss.
A Specially designed bite plane allows you to gently ease the floss between the teeth.
Plaque in the interdental area can be dislodged with a gentle backwards and forwards motion.
Visible plaque will be removed.
Interdental Brushing
The TePe interdental brush is used to clean in between teeth.
A choice of 8 colour-coded sizes is available to help clean different sized spaces.
Turning the brush on insertion will help access.
Used daily, it removes plaque and food debris where your usual brush cannot reach.
For spaces at the back of the mouth, bend the brush in a slight curve but never at right angles …
… this will help you access the more difficult-to-reach areas.
