Whadaya Mean I Got Gum Disease

Do your gums ever bleed when you brush? The last time you flossed (probably when Moses was a boy) did your gums bleed so you decided you were doing it wrong? Do you ever go three days without flossing or woodsticking? If the answer is yes to any, or all, of the above, then you have (insert menacing music) …….. gum disease.

Now, if you’re like most people you’re probably in denial. You think everyone’s gums bleed and it’s no big deal. And for some people it never will be a big deal. The problem is, by the time you notice there’s anything wrong it’s too late to fix it easily.

So What is Gum Disease?

I’m glad you asked. That film that accumulates on your teeth if you don’t brush for a while is called plaque. It contains the bugs (bacteria) that cause gum disease. If the bugs get left close to the gum for 2-3 days then the toxins that they produce seep into the gums and cause infection. That’s when they start to bleed. But it gets worse.

Say the plaque gets left there for an extended period of time. After a while it gets hard and forms ledges (calculus or tartar). Now more plaque will accumulate and as hard as you try, you’ll never get rid of it all. Now the infection is really starting to take hold. But it gets even worse.

In some people (about 15%) the infection will move from the gums into the bone surrounding the teeth. When this happens the bone around the tooth is slowly dissolved by the infection until there is no bone holding the tooth in, it gets loose, and has to be pulled out. Sounds great doesn’t it.

Research published in the last year has revealed something even more disturbing. A positive link has been established between gum disease and heart disease. That means if you have gum disease you are more likely to have a heart attack. 

OK, You’ve Scared Me. What can I do?

A few simple steps will, in most cases, stop things getting worse:

1.       The hard deposits (calculus) need to be removed from your teeth. This has to be done by your hygienist, dentist or gum specialist (periodontist). You can’t eliminate the infection until all of these deposits are removed. It may only take one visit to do or it may take 4 visits or longer, depending on how bad it is to start with.

2.     You need to brush your teeth really well (we’re talking 3-4 minutes) at least once a day. When you do this be sure to dig the bristles into the gum to try to make them bleed. The areas you HAVE NOT been brushing properly in the past will bleed. Don’t worry about this. After a 5-6 days these areas will stop bleeding which will tell you they are now healthier.

3.     You have to clean between your teeth every day using a combination of floss and woodsticks. This will also cause bleeding for the first week. Woodstick twice a day to begin with and floss once a day. After the first week woodstick every day and floss every second day (or vice versa).

4.     Keep getting them cleaned. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to keep your teeth completely clean. In most cases it will be recommended you return every six months to have the areas you can’t get to cleaned. If you are particularly susceptible every three months may be recommended until things are under control.

The bugs that cause gum disease don’t like oxygen (they’re anaerobic for the technically minded). This means that you can kill them just by annoying them.

The whole idea behind brushing, flossing and woodsticking is to keep the colonies of bacteria from establishing themselves.

No bugs = No bleeding = no problems

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