Dental Hygienist in Blyth Nottinghamshire

Gum disease prevention for a healthier mouth

At Ice Dental and Implant Centre, we care not only for your teeth but also for your gums and general mouth health too. It is a little known fact that poor gum health is responsible for as much tooth loss as tooth decay or accidents and it is therefore important to keep your gums as healthy as possible.

Although regular brushing and flossing at home play a very important part in this, seeing a dental hygienist for a professional clean, also known as a ‘scale and polish’ every six months gives your gums the best chance of staying healthy.

What is gum disease?

Gum disease occurs when the number of harmful bacteria in the mouth increases due to poor oral care. These will attack the gums, often leading to gingivitis, and the more advanced stage of gum disease known as periodontitis.

There are a number of symptoms associated with gum disease including:

Gum disease can also be present even without any obvious symptoms.

When gum disease reaches the advanced stage of periodontitis, it can also damage the bone that supports your teeth, causing them to become loose and sometimes even fall out. Regular preventative care then, is essential to stop this from happening.

The role of the dental hygienist

The dental hygienist at our Blyth practice can help you in a number of ways. They will discuss with you, not only your teeth cleaning habits, but also lifestyle choices such as whether you smoke or not. From this discussion, they will work with you to create a plan to improve the health of your teeth and gums.

They will also perform a ‘scale and polish’ procedure which removes most of the bacteria that has hardened, along with mineral deposits, and become firmly attached to the teeth and gum line.