Gums are the Most Neglected in Oral Health

Everyone wants healthy and white teeth and a radiant smile. Nevertheless, teeth aren’t the solo factor to count on: we also have gums, and they are really important to get a perfect and healthy smile. Some patients come to the clinic worried about the alignment of their teeth or about the colour of their smile, not paying attention to other issues that aren’t perceived just because they don’t give them enough importance. We talk about gums, a healthy gum is essential for the whole set around the teeth to be looked after correctly.

Occasionally, structures surrounding and holding the tooth (gums and bone), can be affected if we don’t treat them in an effective way, we can even lose our teeth. Gums are affected by time and the kind of alimentation we have. As we get older, gums (because they are a very thin tissue) get weak and because of the bad alimentary habits gums end up suffering a deoxygenation process, turning them dark and losing their characteristic pinkish colour.

When gums get retracted, is usually due to periodontitis. It is an inflammation of the tissues. The solution consists in align the teeth and clean deeply all the areas surrounding gums to recover their health.

Another anomaly related to gums is when they are swollen, which make the teeth look short. This is because they invade the surface of the teeth. To treat it, a good hygiene is mandatory and also circular massages to stimulate the surface of the teeth and of course always visit the dentist.

Last, if we find a gum that has lost a lot surface, giving an image of long teeth, the basic treatment consists in eliminating the infection by cleaning deeply all the mouth, under local anaesthesia. If the status is already advanced or it requires regeneration, sometimes a small surgery is needed; a gum graft also with local anaesthesia can reshape gingival edges and create a harmonic, symmetric and beautiful smile.

In all cases, the basic treatment consists in an exhaustive cleaning of the gums through an ultrasound machine, sweeping and polishing instruments to eliminate all the bacteria plaque causing the problem. This task is what the doctor will always make so that, the inflammation decreases and the gum gets attached again the teeth creating a barrier to stop the flow of bacteria.

Therefore, if you have any of these symptoms like bad breath, gums with a strong red colour, it hurts a bit or they bleed easily when brushing your teeth, they increase their size, bad taste on your mouth or feeling sensitive when you take cold or hot drinks or food, you should get a good revision.

The most important thing in these cases is the patient to be conscious of the problem and assume that, after the initial treatment, they will have to visit the dentist at least once per year for the rest of their life just to get maintenance cleanings. Oral hygiene is crucial to treat this kind of problems. Only this way we can get a healthy smile.