Protect your gums before it’s too late!

Gum disease problems is an infection of the tissues that surround your teeth. Healthy gums should be pink in color, firm and should keep your teeth in place. This disease is usually painless hence you may not even know you have it. If you have any gum disease, your gums may bleed when you brush your teeth and you may have bad breath. This initial stage of gum disease is known as gingivitis.

If gingivitis is not treated, it can develop into a severe condition called periodontists. This affects the internal tissues that support teeth. A small percentage of adults are estimated to have severe periodontists. Symptoms of periodontists can include bad breath, an unpleasant taste in your mouth, loose teeth that can make eating difficult and gum abscesses. If periodontists is not taken care of, the bone in your jaw can decay and small spaces can open up between the gum and teeth. This can lead to loosening of the teeth which might even fall off.

Gum disease problems is mostly caused by plaque, the sticky film of bacteria that is constantly forming on our teeth. Some bacteria in plaque are harmless, but some can prove to be very harmful for healthy gums. If not removed from your teeth by brushing them, plaque, will build up and irritate your gums. Some other factors increase the risk of developing gum disease, which are:

• Canker Sores: These sores and ulcers can be on one spot and one area or you can develop multiple spots. These are the result of deep rooted mouth ulcers.

• Diabetes: Insulin is a natural chemical that controls your blood sugar. People with diabetes have a higher risk of getting a mouth infection. These infections may affect your ability to process insulin. Your gum disease will be more severe than a person’s without diabetes and the treatment will also be more difficult.

• Hormones: Some women find they have gum problems during pregnancy, puberty and menstruation. The imbalance in hormones during these times can lead to uneven blood flow to the gums, which makes them sensitive and redness or swelling can be noticed or extremely dry and therefore sore and likely to bleed.

• Poor Oral Hygiene: This is one of the major reasons behind most of the gum diseases. This includes brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing regularly. Also keep up with regular dental check-ups. Using mouthwash is also helpful in keeping gums healthy.

• Smoking or chewing tobacco: Smokers are much more likely to develop gum diseases because of proximity to tobacco. Ranging from sensitive gums to bleeding gums to many more deep rooted gum problems, tobacco is one cause behind them.

Temporary gum diseases can be triggered due to medications including steroids, certain types of anti-epilepsy drugs, cancer therapy drugs, some calcium channel blockers and oral contraceptives.

If left untreated, gum diseases can cause serious dental and system-wide health problems. You can try and attend to your teeth to treat gum diseases but if symptoms escalate and you experience persistent bleeding gums, you should consult a dentist.