Gum Health Day 2021 is on May 12th this year. The aim of Gum Health Day is to raise awareness of gum disease, and the impact it can have on your health. Waterford Perio wants to help raise awareness of the importance of keeping your gums strong and healthy.
This year’s key message is an important one… Gum Diseases are Preventable. We want to highlight the importance of knowing the signs of gum disease with the aim to prevent it or to get treatment early to ensure your gums return to full health.
Gum Diseases are Preventable
Gum health is an important contributing factor to your overall health. Periodontitis or gum disease can lead to serious conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, and certain cancers. It is for this reason that we want to stress the importance of looking after your oral health.
As mentioned, the whole focus of this year’s campaign is ‘Gum Diseases are Preventable’. Let’s look into the easy ways to prevent gum disease:
- Brush your teeth twice a day.
- Floss or use interdental brushes once a day.
- Use soft-headed toothbrushes.
- Replace your toothbrush every 2-3 months.
- Gently brush your teeth in a circular motion… don’t brush too hard as this will cause damage to your teeth.
- See your dentist regularly. We recommend every 6 months.
It is also crucial to be able to tell if you have early signs of gum disease. Gum disease is not only preventable, but it is also treatable if caught early. If it is not treated in time, it could lead to severe gum problems and health issues.
Bad breath can be a sign of gum disease
If you don’t clean your teeth properly, and regularly, plaque will build up along your gum line. Over time this plaque and the food residue that hasn’t been cleaned away will start to smell. This in turn will cause you to have bad breath.
If you have persistent bad breath, it is time to see your dentist. You may have gum disease.
Tooth Sensitivity can be a consequence of gum disease
A build-up of plaque can cause your gums to recede down the tooth, exposing the nerve. This can cause tooth sensitivity.
Another cause of sensitive teeth is worn enamel. Enamel is the outer layer of the tooth that protects the inner and more fragile areas of the tooth. If the enamel is worn down, it can cause added sensitivity due to the nerve and cells of the tooth being more exposed.
Find out more about sensitive teeth, their causes, and how to treat it.
Smoking can lead to gum disease
Smoking weakens the body’s immune system. This makes it more difficult to fight off infection. Therefore, if you a smoker it is more difficult to fight off gum disease.
Not only this, if you do have gum disease as a smoker, it is more problematic to treat. It can take longer for your gums to heal, due to the weakened immune caused by smoking.
We recommend quitting smoking if at all possible.
Loose teeth can be a sign of gum disease
Loose teeth can happen when there is a build-up of plaque in your mouth. This plaque weakens the bone structure holding your teeth in place. This is a clear sign that gum disease is progressing and needs to be treated immediately to stop you from losing your teeth completely.
If your teeth are becoming loose, we recommend seeing your dentist urgently to prevent long-term damage, and tooth loss.
Other signs of Gum Disease;
- Bleeding gums
- Inflamed/red gums
- Receding gums
- Gaps between your teeth
How Healthy are Your Gums?
Unsure how healthy your gums are? The EFP have a questionnaire to access your gum health.
If you have any questions in relation to the health of your gums, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We would love for you to share this blog with others and help us to raise awareness this Gum Health Day 2021.
