In most cases, any problems with your teeth and gums can be successfully managed by your dentist. However, when it comes to gum disease, it requires periodontal treatment in Essex to manage and treat the disease.

Gum disease is far more common than you may realise. Although studies show that gum health in the UK is significantly better than it used to be, periodontitis is still the second most common dental problem after dental decay.

What causes gum disease?

It is mainly caused by live bacteria in your mouth that will, over time and if you don’t follow a healthy dental routine, start to irritate your gums and eventually affect the bone around your teeth. In extreme cases this could result in long-term severe bone loss, meaning loose teeth that may fall out. The bone loss is irreversible, and you will never get what you have lost back.

The job of spotting it early and treating it with periodontal treatment means you stop it in its tracks and prevent early tooth loss.

Often the severity of gum disease can be missed by people because there isn’t usually any pain associated with it. The main causes of gum disease are:

• A build-up of plaque and tartar due to poor oral hygiene (brushing and flossing)
• Not seeing a Dentist or Hygienist regularly ( at least twice per year)
• Smoking or chewing tobacco
• Crooked, irregular teeth.
• Hormonal shifts in women
• Some prescription medications
• Deficiencies in healthy nutrition (POOR DIET)

But there’s a new addition to this list that a new series of studies at NYU College of Dentistry has discovered: the impact of Vaping.

Research into a growing number of gum disease cases due to vapes and e-cigarettes

The popularity of e-cigarettes has grown significantly over the past five years with many believing that it is a healthier option to smoking. However, the latest research published in mBio reveals that vaping could be contributing to gum disease. It has been found that users of e-cigarettes have an oral microbiome (the collection of bacteria and other microorganisms in the mouth) that whilst is potentially healthier than cigarette smokers, is less healthy than non-smokers.

When the researchers analysed the bacteria in plaque samples from the study, they found that e-cigarette users have a different microbiome than non-smokers.

Signs that periodontal treatment is required

There is a number of warning signs to look out for when it comes to gum disease:

• Teeth, bite or dental work issues – if your bite (the way your teeth fit together when you bite down) becomes different, you have loose teeth or they are separating, or if any current partial/complete dentures or bridge work no longer fits properly.
• Gums – if your gums are bleeding when brushing your teeth, flossing or when biting into tougher foods, your gums are red, swollen, puffy or sensitive, or you have a receding gum line, i.e. your gums are pulling away from your teeth.
• Orally – there is a metallic taste in your mouth, bad breath no matter what you do to clean/brush/floss your mouth, sores or irritation in the mouth that are not improving or healing, sores and/or pus between your teeth.

In all of these situations, it is likely that you will need periodontal treatment and you should contact a dentist as soon as possible. There are a variety of treatment options that can help STOP gum disease progressing in its tracks.