Gum disease occurs when bacteria is left to enter and infect the gum tissue, usually due to improper oral hygiene. Smoking, poor diet and drinking can exacerbate gum disease, so it is vital to look out for the signs of gum disease if you fall into any of these categories.

• Bleeding gums: bleeding gums can occur when switching to a new toothbrush or when you first implement flossing into your oral health routine. However, if bleeding occurs more than once a week and the amount of blood increases each time you brush, you may have the start of gum disease and you should go to your dentist immediately for treatment.
• Bad breath: gum disease often starts without any feeling of pain, which makes it a hard problem to detect. However, if you have continual bad breath this could be a definite sign of gum disease.
• Loose teeth and gum pockets: when gum disease is in its early stage it is known as gingivitis, but if left untreated it then becomes periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is more difficult to treat, with the usual symptoms including loose, wobbly teeth and pockets of skin opening up around the teeth. If periodontal disease is allowed to progress tooth loss and gum deterioration is often the final stage.

If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms, it is in your best interests to visit the dentist right away. Once identified, your dentist will prescribe your treatment to prevent the spread of the disease and bring it under control. The treatment will include:

• Deep Cleaning: a dental hygienist will thoroughly clean every part of your mouth and teeth, removing all bacteria and plaque build-up and returning your mouth to good oral health.
• Periodontal Cleaning: if the problem has developed into periodontal disease a more intensive cleaning will be necessary. This will remove any hardened tartar and plaque from your gumline to stop the spread of the infection.

Once under control you will be given a tailored oral health regime to follow, which should ensure that the problem doesn’t return.

A healthy tooth.
Plaque builds up …
… gum and bone may begin to recede.
Sometimes the gum recedes with the bone and sometimes it doesn’t.
Either way the tooth may become mobile.

Tooth decay is most often caused by a combination of sugary food and neglected oral hygiene.

After eating a sugary snack or drinking a can of soda you may feel a slight gritty feeling across your teeth. This occurs when bacteria feeds on the sugar on your teeth and forms a film of plaque. This plaque, if left unchecked, eats away first at the enamel of your teeth, then the dentin and finally the dental pulp inside. Once this has occurred the tooth will become infected, which is often incredibly painful.

Symptoms include:

• Holes in the teeth: this is the most common indication of tooth decay and occurs when the bacteria eats away the enamel of your tooth.
• Toothache: Once the decay has passed the enamel and entered the tooth, pulp pain is usually the norm and will become hard to ignore.
• Broken teeth: This occurs when the decay has been left untreated and the tooth has been literally eaten away by the bacteria.

• Fillings: if your decay is in the very early stages, when only the outer enamel and some dentin is damaged, your dentist can clean the area and then seal it up with a dental filling.
• Root canal treatment (Endodontic Therapy): this is often necessary when a large tooth cavity reaches the nerve, becomes infected, or for preventative reasons. We remove bacteria and damaged or dead nerves, the root is then sealed, re-filled and often crowned. This will extend the life of a tooth for many years to come. Root canal treatment is often feared, but with modern techniques this is a relatively painless procedure.
• Broken teeth: Finally if your tooth has reached the broken stage it will most likely have to be removed to prevent the spread of infection to your other teeth. However, once it has been removed there are a number of options to replace your tooth, including dentures, bridges and dental implants.