The fiend in my mouth.
Scientific studies show that, nowadays, approx. 70% of all people over the age of 35 suffer with various types of gum inflammation (periodontitis). More teeth are lost to periodontal disease than to caries. Worse still, untreated gum disease is harmful to your health – especially in diabetics and those with cardiovascular disease – and it can also trigger premature births.
The risk of developing periodontitis varies from person to person. The best way to prevent periodontitis is to identify it early or stop it at an early stage. State-of-the-art bacterial tests help us to determine the risk for each patient and find the appropriate treatment. Nowadays, modern treatments can help us to prevent premature tooth loss effectively.
Symptoms
Patients tend not to experience any pain with gum disease at first. The following symptoms may be signs of gum disease:
- Bleeding gums
- Swelling and reddening of the gums
- Receding gums
- Sensitive tooth necks
- Bad breath
- Draining secretions from the gingival pockets
- Loose teeth
Treatment
It is usually possible to stop gum disease by undergoing systemic treatment. We have developed a 5-point programme specifically for this:
1
Examination and advice
We will examine you thoroughly and determine how healthy your gums are. We may even conduct additional steps.
2
Microbiological diagnosis
If we identify signs of gum disease while we are examining you, we will do further research. We will determine which germs have triggered gum disease using special microbiological diagnostics tools. This process will also tell us what the “offending germ” is and how much it has already spread. We will also provide patients with antibiotics in particularly severe cases.
3
Initial or hygiene phase
Your dental hygienist will gently and painlessly removes all accessible hard deposits and bacterial plaque during a professional teeth cleaning procedure. This first hygiene phase will reduce both the amount of bacteria and the inflammation. After the hygienist has finished cleaning your teeth, they will polish the surface of your teeth with special pastes and rubber tools. This prevents plaque from forming as quickly.
4
Interim check-up (reassessment)
Your gums will be reassessed after a few weeks. Your dentist will suggest further treatment if the previous treatment has not sufficiently eliminated the gingival pockets.
5
Aftercare
If gum disease treatment is to be successful in the long term, you will need to care for your oral health properly and visit our dental practice regularly. Your teeth and gums will be checked and professionally cleaned as part of follow-up appointments. We will also teach you about what you need to do to improve your oral hygiene. The frequency of follow-up appointments will depend on the severity of the disease and the patient's individual risk of developing the disease. In most cases, patients will need to attend a follow-up appointment every three to six months.
Make sure you attend your follow-up appointments!
If you do not attend regular follow-up appointments, you run the risk of having the disease return and it continuing to cause damage to your gums.
