News with tag brush

Periodontitis – Gum Disease

Periodontitis (gum disease) has been linked with an increase in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (thickening of the blood vessels). This can cause heart attacks and strokes. Periodontal disease is also linked with diabetes, low birth weight and rheumatoid arthiritis. Bleeding gums is often the first sign of gum disease. Call North Road Dental Clinic if you have bleeding gums to be assessed. It is important to establish a good regime at home to prevent oral disease and maintain oral health. Firstly, avoid simple sugars as much as you can. If you are going to have sugary food or drinks (we’re all human!) then try and keep it to a mealtime (when saliva flow is increased to wash away the sugars) or follow the sugar with either water or milk. The people who have the most dental decay may not eat the most sugar, but they do have it more frequently!

About Flouride & Cleaning

Get some fluoride on your teeth! This helps to repair your teeth and keep them more resistant to dental decay. The most common way to do this is to use toothpaste (remember NOT to rinse your mouth with water after for the best result, the longer the contact time, the better it will work). You can supplement this by using a fluoride containing mouthwash – make sure it does contain fluoride as some don’t and stick to alcohol free. Clean your teeth – ideally at least twice a day for 2+ minutes with a brush. Electric ones are proven to be more efficient. You also need to clean the parts the brush can’t reach between teeth, with either dental floss or an interdental brush (Pikster, Tepe brands are common). If you don’t do this regularly you may notice your gums bleed. Don’t let this put you off, persevere and they will stop bleeding when cleaned, usually in a couple of weeks once they are healthy. If the bleeding persists that may be a sign you have more severe gum issues so it is best to make an appointment. Make an appointment at North Road Dental Clinic so we can check your oral health which is so important to your overall health.

Did you know that if you’re not brushing and flossing thoroughly, you could be impacting your overall level of health? Although there are dozens of known medical conditions now linked with gum disease, here are some of the few that most commonly impact our Carnegie patients: Diabetes A diabetic is extremely susceptible to uncontrolled glucose levels if they are also suffering from gum disease. The severity of one often goes hand-in-hand with the other. Unfortunately, it’s extremely challenging (if not impossible) to regulate blood sugar if there’s an active oral infection co-existing. The easiest way to get both under control is to treat the periodontal infection and practice good oral hygiene, to see a reduced strain to the body overall. Preterm Labour Plaque biofilm can spread from the mother, through the placenta, to the baby. When a pregnant woman has active gum disease, she’s significantly more likely to experience:

• Premature labour
• Preeclampsia
• A baby with a low birth weight

Like smoking, periodontitis is a significant risk factor for pregnant women and their babies. Treating gum disease before or during pregnancy can reduce the risks to your child. Cardiovascular Disease Inflammation of the gums in gingivitis and periodontal disease causes an increase in the total inflammatory burden in your body. This has been linked to atherosclerosis, or thickening of the blood vessels which is directly responsible for an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes. Removing plaque and calculus will reduce the amount of inflammation, and hence the risk of heart attack and stroke. Gum Disease Therapy in Carnegie North Road Dental Clinic offers non-surgical and therapeutic periodontal care to help you eliminate active gum infections and boost your immune system’s response to other health problems. If you’re experiencing symptoms such as swollen or bleeding gums, or notice gum recession and tooth mobility, it’s time to give our Carnegie dentist a call.

You’ve finally replaced that missing tooth! Your new dental bridge looks and feels great, and you want it to stay that way. But just like the rest of your smile, our Carnegie dentists want you to take great care of your bridge so that it can last for several years. Here’s what you need to know when it comes to bridge care and maintenance: Clean Underneath Your Bridge Daily — Use a floss aid such as a threader, tufted proxa-brush, or a water flosser to clean underneath your bridge. Take care to focus on the sides of your supporting teeth, as these areas are especially prone to collecting plaque build-up. Brush Along the Margin Where Your Bridge Touches the Gums — There’s a small amount of tooth enamel exposed, where your bridge tapers off and just above your gumlines. If not cleaned properly, it can start to decay (allowing cavities to seep under the bridge, making it come loose.) Brush gently along the gumlines daily, but don’t scrub too hard as it could cause your tissues to pull back. Let Us Know if Something Feels Odd — You know your mouth better than anyone. If you’re biting down or chewing and something doesn’t feel quite right, you need to let our Carnegie dentists know. Your mouth can pick up on the tiniest of changes, even if it’s just fractions of a millimetre. Like in any area of your mouth, this is a warning sign that you should always be on the lookout for. Schedule an Exam, Scale and Polish Every Six Months — During your visit, we’ll make sure everything looks as it ought to. This includes taking periodic X-rays to inspect areas that are deeper under the bridge, so that any recurrent tooth decay can be intercepted as early as possible. Call North Road Dental Clinic today to schedule!