Gum disease is one of those conditions that is often overlooked, but it can be extremely serious if not treated in a timely manner. It’s often referred to as being a silent disease as the early symptoms are easily missed. If your gums bled slightly when you last brushed them you may have dismissed this sign as being caused by something else, or perhaps you thought you brushed too hard. However this is one of the first symptoms that something is wrong, as healthy gums should not bleed when brushed and flossed normally. This is a signal that you need to do something about your oral health, and that perhaps you’re overdue for a visit to Leeds City Dentalcare. Additional symptoms of early gum disease include noticing your gums are a little bit puffier than normal, and they may appear red in colour. Healthy gums should be a nice pale pink colour and should fit snugly around your teeth.

Seeking treatment at our Leeds surgery sooner rather than later will enable us to treat the early signs of gum disease with relatively little fuss. It’s likely that you’ll just need to have your teeth professionally cleaned by one of our dental hygienists. You’ll be given lots of help and instructions on how to look after your teeth at home, and with extra vigilance this should be enough to see an improvement in your gums within just a few weeks.

If you choose to ignore these early signs then it’s likely the disease will develop into periodontitis. This is a much more serious condition and will require you to attend our Leeds surgery much more frequently for treatment to help hold it in check.

Factors That Can Increase the Likelihood of Gum Disease

While one of the major causes of gum disease is simply a lack of oral hygiene, there are certain factors that can increase the risk of developing this disease. These factors include:

• Hormonal changes that occur during puberty, during monthly menstruation, in pregnancy and during the menopause can make the gums more sensitive towards plaque bacteria. These are the bacteria that cause gum disease.
• Certain illnesses can increase the susceptibility of the gums towards developing gum disease. These illnesses include diabetes as this affects the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels, and HIV and cancer as these affect the body’s immune system.
• Certain medications can also increase the risk through causing a condition called dry mouth. This is where insufficient saliva is produced to help keep the mouth clean and healthy. Some drugs can also cause the gums to grow abnormally, increasing the risk of gum disease as it’s more difficult to keep the gums clean.
• Smokers are more at risk of developing gum disease as the smoking affects the body’s ability to heal the gum tissue.
• Gum disease may also be down to genetics, as anyone with a family history of dental disease may be more susceptible towards developing this condition.

Regular Dental Care Can Increase the Odds in Your Favour

Even if you are more at risk of developing gum disease you can greatly help to decrease this risk through making sure you have excellent dental care. Visiting Dr David Brown or another dentist in Leeds will help ensure your gums are kept healthy and free from disease. Regular dental hygiene appointments are essential for helping to remove hardened plaque bacteria from around the teeth, lessening the risk of inflammation and infection. Regular dental care at home through daily brushing and flossing will definitely help stack the odds in your favour.

Having an abscessed tooth is no fun, as it can be pretty painful and is definitely something that will require urgent treatment with one of our dentist at Leeds City Dentalcare. An abscess can be due to tooth decay, or it may be due to trauma to the tooth that has resulted in it becoming broken or chipped.

If the tooth enamel has been damaged in some way then this will enable bacteria to enter the tooth and to penetrate the pulp area of the tooth, causing infection. The pulp contains all the nerves of the tooth, and if it becomes infected it can be very uncomfortable. The bacteria causepus to develop in the pulp as the body tries to fight the infection. Eventually the pulp may die, and this can result in the toothache subsiding although the abscess may continue to develop in the root of the tooth. Without treatment at our Leeds surgery this abscess can spread and can even destroy the tissues surrounding the infected tooth.

The main symptom that indicates you could be developing an abscess is having a severe toothache that can manifest itself as a throbbing or shooting pain. Additional symptoms of an abscess include:

• Having bad breath
• Having an unpleasant or bitter taste in the mouth
• Feeling generally unwell or noticing the lymph glands and neck are swollen
• Noticing your jaw is swollen in the area nearest to the infected tooth
• Experiencing pain when biting or chewing
• Experiencing increased sensitivity to hot and cold foods
• Developing a fever

If you think you may have an abscess then it’s worth booking an appointment at Leeds City Dentalcare, even if your toothache subsides as there has to be some underlying reason as to why it occurred and this will require investigation.

Diagnosis of a Dental Abscess

Diagnosis of a dental abscess is relatively straightforward. Dr David Brown or another of our dentists will examine your mouth and will test your tooth by tapping it gently to see if it is infected. You may be asked to bite your teeth together to see if this is painful. The condition of your gums is also a good indication as to whether or not you have a dental abscess. It might be necessary to take dental x-rays to see how far the infection has spread.

Treating a Dental Abscess

The main aim of treating a dental abscess is to remove the infection and to try to save the tooth. It might be necessary to drain the abscess through making a small incision in the gum tissue, or the infection may be able to be cleared through having root canal therapy. You may need to have a root canal treatment even if the infection has subsided as it will be necessary to remove the dead tissue from the pulp. If the infection is severe you might require antibiotics to help fight it, and over-the-counter painkillers can help to relieve any discomfort and pain. Unfortunately some teeth may be too infected to save, and it is sometimes necessary to extract the tooth to drain the abscess. This is one reason why it’s essential to seek treatment sooner rather than later, as prompt action can usually save the tooth.

Avoiding Tooth Abscesses

You can lessen your risk of developing a tooth abscess by making sure you visit Leeds City Dentalcare at regular intervals for check-ups and professional cleanings. This will ensure any signs of trauma or decay in your teeth can be picked up quickly and treated before bacteria can penetrate the tooth, causing infection. It also helps immensely if you follow a good daily oral hygiene routine which should include thoroughly brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day.

Osteoporosis is incredibly common and affects millions of people throughout the world. It’s estimated to affect approximately 1/3 of women over the age of 65. It’s a condition that tends to affect more women than men, especially after the menopause as diminished oestrogen levels can increase the rate of bone loss. It’s also something that can affect extremely thin young women who may have eating disorders that result in insufficient oestrogen being produced. People with untreated coeliac disease may also develop osteoporosis.

One of the problems with osteoporosis is that there are few warning signs that it is developing, as it’s often called a silent disease. It results in a decrease in bone density, and can even weaken bones to the point that they will break under normal stresses. However one of the early signs that osteoporosis may be developing is a loss of bone in the jaw, something dentist at Leeds City Dentalcare may be able to detect during a regular checkup, especially if they take dental x-rays. Signs of that osteoporosis may be affecting your mouth include noticing:

• Teeth have become loose
• You have developed gum disease
• Eating and speaking has become more difficult
• Dentures may fit less securely

It is important to try to maintain bone mass from an early age, as it tends to peak during the early 20s. Making sure you eat plenty of foods containing calcium can help, as can weight-bearing exercises.

Tell Your Dentist If You Are Taking Medication for Osteoporosis or are Receiving Cancer Therapy

People who do have osteoporosis may be given medication to help strengthen their bones, called antiresorptive agents. While these can be quite effective they can bring about an additional problem as they have been associated with an extremely rare but serious condition called osteonecrosis of the jaw. This condition can cause extensive damage to the jawbone. Most people taking antiresorptive agents for osteoporosis will take them orally, and the risk of developing osteonecrosis is extremely low. In this case there is probably no need to avoid or postpone any dental treatment, but it is important to let our dental staff know you are taking these drugs.

However this group of drugs is also given to people receiving cancer therapy, and the doses tend to be much higher. In this case the risk is more substantial, so if you know you are likely to need these drugs then it is worth asking Leeds City Dentalcare for advice before you begin treatment. It is well worth having a check-up and making sure you have all essential dental treatment completed before taking these drugs. This way Dr David Brown or other dentists at our Leeds surgery can develop a treatment plan for you that will help keep your mouth healthy while you are receiving cancer therapy.

Symptoms of osteonecrosis can include noticing:

• Gums that have been injured or treated aren’t healing properly
• Developing a swelling or infection in the gums or jaw
• Some teeth may have become loose
• Experiencing a sense of heaviness in the jaw
• Some bone may become exposed

It is important to emphasise that osteonecrosis is very rare, and if you have been prescribed antiresorptive agents for osteoporosis then you shouldn’t stop taking them. The risk of bone fractures and weakness is far higher than the risk of developing osteonecrosis.

Women do need to take extra care of their dental health at certain times throughout their lifetime. The reason for this is due to the unique hormonal changes that occur. These changes can affect the blood supply to the gum tissue, but also affect the way the body responds to toxins produced by plaque bacteria. This can mean women become more susceptible towards developing gum disease or periodontal disease at certain times during their lifetime, and may also become more susceptible towards other oral health problems. We obviously like to see all our patients regularly at our surgery in Leeds, but we do urge women to pay particular attention to their oral health during these times, and to make sure they don’t miss any appointments for check-ups and professional cleanings. The times when susceptibility can increase include:

Puberty. This is due to an increase in the production of the female hormones of progesterone and oestrogen that occurs at this time. These hormones can increase the blood flow to the gums, and may change the way the gum tissue reacts to plaque bacteria. This can result in the gum tissue becoming tender, swollen and inflamed, meaning it’s more likely to bleed when brushing and flossing.

During menstruation. At this time of the month the hormone progesterone increases, and this can affect the oral cavity. Common symptoms include experiencing swollen salivary glands, or developing mouth ulcers, and a condition called menstruation gingivitis can occur a day or two before menstruation begins, resulting in bright red, swollen gums that bleed when brushed and flossed. This condition will clear up within a day or two.

Using birth control pills can increase progesterone levels which in turn can lead to inflammation in the gum tissues due to the body’s increased reaction to the toxins produced by plaque bacteria.

Pregnancy causes considerable changes in hormone levels, in particular in the level of progesterone. This means pregnant women are more prone towards developing gum disease between the second and eighth month of pregnancy. This condition is called pregnancy gingivitis. If we think you are susceptible towards developing this condition then we may recommend that you see David Brown or another of our dentists more frequently for check-ups, and that you schedule more frequent professional cleanings to help reduce the chances of developing pregnancy gingivitis.

The menopause is also a time when hormonal changes take place. In addition women may need to take extra medications at this time in their life to help combat other diseases, and these may cause changes to the oral cavity. Common problems at this time can include a burning sensation in the mouth called burning mouth syndrome, increased sensitivity to hot and cold foods, and a decrease in saliva that can result in dry mouth.

Dry mouth can increase the risk of gum disease and tooth decay as saliva is very important in helping to keep the mouth clean and moist, and it also helps to neutralise the acids produced by plaque bacteria. If you suffer from dry mouth, then it’s something we can definitely help you with here in our Leeds surgery.

Another problem that can occur during the menopause is a loss of bone density due to the fall in oestrogen levels. This decline in bone density can affect the jawbone and could eventually lead to tooth loss. One sign that this might be occurring is noticing that the gums are receding, something that also puts teeth at increased risk of tooth decay.

All these problems have the potential to be serious, but with proper dental care most can hopefully be avoided. Our dentist at Leeds City Dentalcare is able to offer advice on how to look after your teeth and gums more effectively, and regular check-ups and cleanings should ensure any potential problems are picked up quickly before they can become serious.