How can we help you?
Gum Health & Oral Hygiene
Bad breath (scienfic word: Halitosis) can be caused by factors linked to the mouth and teeth (intra-oral) or due to health issues arising from the lungs, digestive system or hormonal disturbances (extra-oral).
The most common causes of bad breath are intra-oral. The build up of bacteria in the mouth, associated with poor oral hygiene, is one of the main causes. Bacteria grow on plaque (food debris) which builds up around teeth, under the gum margins and tongue surface, hence the need for thorough brushing, flossing and regular professional cleans. More severe cases of bad breath can be attributed to established gum disease as a result of poor oral hygiene and neglect over an extended period of time. The types of bacteria in the oral cavity evolve over time if the plaque level keeps growing and this can lead to more virulent bacteria that cause gum disease and bad breath.
Large cavities in a tooth and infected teeth are also breeding grounds to bacteria that contribute to bad breath. The wearing of appliances such as braces and dentures can also make oral hygiene more difficult, increasing the level of plaque bacteria in the mouth that contribute to bad breath.
If you are concerned about possibly having bad breath, the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote is able to assist you with the right advice. Call us or book an appointment online.
Reference: Halitosis: Prevalence, risk factors, sources, measurements and treatment- a review of the litterature. Wu J., Cannon R., Ji P. et al. Australian Dental Journal (volume 65, issue 1, pages 4-11), March 2020
Why do my gums bleed?
We often have patients reporting that their gums bleed during brushing or eating or even spontaneously, and this is often a cause of anxiety.
The most common cause of bleeding gums is gum disease. Gum disease means that the gum tissues are inflamed. This inflammation is most often caused by a deposit of plaque and calculus (soft and hard debris) , which act as an irritant, around the gum lines. Inflamed gums usually look red, swollen and bleed easily. The more severe the inflammation, the more severe the bleeding.
In the early stages of gum inflammation, this is known as gingivitis. Gingivitis is reversible. When the irritant is removed, the gums are able to recover and stop bleeding.
However, continuous inflammation over a long period of time can lead to irreversible changes where the gums recede. This more advanced state of disease is known as periodontitis. Periodontitis can lead to teeth becoming loose and eventually falling out. Periodontitis requires immediate professional treatment to stop its progression.
Inflamed gums that bleed easily can make other dental treatment more challenging. It is important that prior to more complex dental treatment such as cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, implant placement, and even filllings, that the gums are as healthy as possible.
The best way to prevent gum disease is with good oral hygiene both by adequate tooth brushing and flossing as well as professional cleans on a regular basis.
While bleeding of the gums from gum disease is not life-threatening, it is indicative of chronic inflammation of the gums and we recommend that you seek advice from your dentist as soon as possible.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, checking for gum disease is an integral part of all dental check ups and we ensure that patients receive appropriate advice and treatment to restore and maintain health.
Receding gums arise when the gums shrink away and more of the tooth root surface becomes exposed. The primary cause of gum recession is inflammation (gingivitis) caused by bacteria in plaque. Plaque is a film of food debris and bacteria and is not always visible to the naked eye. When plaque is deposited along the gum line, the bacteria in the plaque leads to inflammation of the gums. The plaque can also harder into calculus (also known as tartar). Calculus is a hard, sticky substance that cannot be brushed off and contributes to gum inflammation. Inflamed gums tend to bleed easily. If however this inflammation is chronic over a long period of time, the gums eventually recede and the condition is known as periodontitis. This might occur over a number of years and not be immediately noticeable.
However, once it has occurred, gum recession is irreversible and the lost tissue cannot be regrown. If the gum recession continues unabated, the teeth can loosen up and eventuall fall out.
Other less common causes of gum recession are:
- Past orthodontic treatment- if too much force is applied to teeth to move them, gum recession can occur
- Overly aggressive brushing- brushing too vigorously and with a hard brush can lead to gingival trauma and recession
To prevent gum recession, it is important to have good oral hygiene with the correct toothbrushing technique and daily flossing.
Regular professional cleans are also critical to prevent a high build-up of plaque and calculus.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, checking for gum disease is an integral part of all dental check ups and we ensure that patients receive appropriate advice and treatment to restore and maintain health.
Gum disease means that the gums are chronically inflamed. This can range in severity. With gingivitis, the inflammation can be reversed without any permanent damage to the gums and bone around the teeth. However, in periodontitis, the long-standing inflammation has caused destruction of the bone surrounding the teeth. This means that the teeth have reduced bone support and in severe cases, can become loose. Periodontitis is irreversible. Once the supporting bone is lost, it cannot be grown back.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, our dentist ensures patients are assessed for gum disease and will help you improve your oral hygiene and gum health.
There are many factors leading to gum disease. The main one is bacteria in dental plaque around the teeth and under the gum margins, building up to a high level, allowing proliferation of the more harmful bacteria that release toxins and induce inflammation of the gums.
Aggravating factors are:
genetic – some people have a more destructive inflammatory response that others.
Environmental/lifestyle – smokers and poorly controlled diabetics have more severe gum disease than non-smokers due to reduced healing capacity.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, our dentist ensures patients are assessed for gum disease and receive the appropriate advice and treatment.
Bleeding gums during brushing indicate presence of inflammation. However, absence of bleeding does not necessarily mean healthy gums. Incorrect brushing technique where the gum margins are not contacted by the toothbrush will not lead to bleeding. Smokers tend to also show less bleeding even in the presence of gum disease.
Gums can also look red and swollen. In some cases, they can feel 'itchy'. Over time, the gums can recede as well, leading to unsighly spaces appearing between the teeth.
Bad breath and bad taste in the mouth may also indicate gum disease as these would be caused by the kinds of bacteria more prevalent in periodontitis.
Loose teeth (in the absence of trauma) are also a good indicator of advanced gum disease. The teeth become loose as the supporting bone around them is destroyed by the disease process.
More importantly, gum disease does not usually cause pain, so most patients are unaware they have it.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, our dentist ensures patients are assessed for gum disease and will help you improve your oral hygiene and gum health.
Good oral hygiene is key. Knowing the correct brushing and flossing techniques is essential. By keeping plaque levels low, it prevents the proliferation of the more destructive anaerobic bacteria involved in severe gum disease.
Having regular professional checks and cleans at your dentist is strongly recommended to ensure early signs of gum disease are detected and measures are taken to prevent progression.
Smokers are advised to consider cessation and patients at risk of diabetes should get regular medical checks to ensure their blood sugar levels are kept under control.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, our dentist ensures patient are assessed for gum disease and will help you improve your oral hygiene and gum health.
If you have gingivitis, regular professional cleans by your dentist will remove the build up of plaque around and under the gums and allow the gum inflammation to subside. Maintaining good oral hygiene between dental visits will help control the recurrence of plaque build up and help keep the gums healthy.
Patients who show signs of periodontitis usually need a closer inspection of their gums.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, our dentist will take time to measure the depths of the pockets between the teeth and gums. This is called a periodontal analysis and is essential to determine the severity of the gum disease and hence the treatment required.
Treatment of periodontitis involves a process called periodontal debridement. The dentist will have to clean quite deeply under the gums at the affected sites with special instruments. Usually local anaesthetic is given and the treatment might be carried out over a few visits.
After the initial round of periodontal debridement, our dentist will need to review the patient after 3, 4 or 6 months depending on the severity of the disease. At each review, a new periodontal analysis is carried out to check if there has been improvement. Areas that have not improved sufficiently will require another round of debridement. In between visits, the patient would have been instructed as to the best way to implement home hygiene.
Usually, more than 1 round of periodontal debridement is necessary to return the gums to health.
Smokers and uncontrolled diabetics have a poorer response to treatment.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, we ensure all patients are assessed for gum disease and receive the appropriate advice and treatment.
Evidence has shown that patients with periodontal disease are at higher risk of other medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease (stroke, infective endocarditis, coronary heart disease), diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and respiratory issues.
Oral bacteria involved in gum disease can enter the bloodstream and cause damage to blood vessels and heart valves, leading to or aggravating cardiovascular problems. They have also been detected in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Patients with gum disease are also at higher risk of pneumonia as the bacteria can be aspirated into the lungs.
The chronic inflammation caused by gum disease can affect the immune response in other parts of the body, aggravating conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and kidney dysfunction.
The effects of gum disease are not restricted to the oral environment.
At the Melbourne Smile Clinic in Northcote, our dentist ensures patients are assessed for gum disease and will discuss with you the best way to stay healthy.