Reversing Gum Disease
Do you have bleeding gums? Do you have hard tags underneath your gums that catch/tear your floss? Are your gums always tender even though you have routine six monthly cleans?
Healthy gums do not bleed or hurt during everyday dental care. Only when we have been incomplete in the routine removal of plaque from the gums, along with stressful events, is gum disease triggered.
Contrary to the human instinct of brushing less and avoiding their gums so they don’t bleed, that red blood is actually the signal from the gums for extra attention by you and your Dentist!
Luckily, gum disease comes in two types – reversible (gingivitis) and irreversible (periodontitis). The reversible gum disease is often completely curable with thorough professional cleans and precise patient education on how to keep the gums clean while they heal.
Prolonged exposure to debris and bacterial plaque on the gumline and beneath the gum can get calcified by the minerals in your saliva, forming tartar or calculus. Tartar is like having a splinter lodged in your skin. It contributes to redness, tenderness and localised infection if left there long enough. These tartar tags or spikes aggravate your gums and must be professionally cleaned and removed.
Like splinter removal, you would never snip the top off the splinter and leave the end lodged under your skin, likewise for tartar. Adequate time and skill are required for the complete removal of tartar – including the part above and below the gumline – allowing complete recovery from gingivitis and avoiding periodontitis.
At Belledental, all our clinicians are allocated sufficient time to ensure thorough cleaning, education and instructions. Also, Belledental is lucky to have an expert in gum disease on staff - Dr Chia-wen Yeh. Chia has been participating in a research program and has specific techniques and education concepts for managing and controlling gum disease.
To reverse gum disease and have your gums return to health, please get in touch with Belledental. All our cleans are thorough, and we have a reputation for delivering recovery from gum disease with our unique Belledental protocol.
intouch contributor DR ALEX HUSZTI BelleDental Alex has had a career focused on low-biologic cost reconstructive cosmetic dental care – common sense teeth for life.
