gum disease is the biggest cause of tooth loss and here's why.
Most of us are aware of the need to brush our teeth regularly, floss our teeth and avoid too much sugar in our diets. But how many of us know that looking after our gums is as important, if not, more important than looking after our teeth?
Gum disease is extremely common and in the UK today it affects 3 out of every 4 adults over the age of 35. Which means, most of us are probably suffering from gum disease in one form or another, which if not treated, can lead to bad breath, tooth loss and gum abscesses.
But the good news is that it is completely preventable.
There’s an old dentistry saying, ‘Dentistry isn’t expensive, neglect is’.
Dental disease can affect an individual in more ways than we might appreciate. Not only can it lead to expensive treatment but it can also affect self-esteem and quality of life. At Billericay Dental Care we pride ourselves on offering a preventative service to all of our patients, whether NHS or private. We passionately believe preventing gum disease and tooth decay is the way forward and offer an extensive range of oral hygiene services to help keep your gums healthy.
We have a highly trained team of 6 Clinicians and 2 Oral Hygienists each of whom has expertise in a different aspect of dentistry and all are registered with the General Dental Council. This ensures a solid breath and depth of dental knowledge is available in-house.
Everyone’s lives are busy these days and it’s tempting to avoid a visit to the dentist until we are in tooth pain, bleeding gums or a broken tooth. But often this can be too late and result in costly treatments which could have been prevented if we’d have sought specialist help earlier. Even if you think your teeth are in good health and you have no pain we would advise an appointment at an interval recommended by your dentist. This ensure that if we do find something which needs addressing, we will have caught it early enough and you can make an informed decision about your how you wish to proceed. Our team of experts are highly trained and even serious diseases such as oral cancer can be treated if found early enough.
Our Dental Hygiene Service covers the county of Essex and more specifically, Basildon, Chelmsford, Romford, Ingatestone, Stone, Rayleigh, Wickfor to name a few. Our Hygienists work in conjunction with the Dentists to assess your personal requirements and will tailor specific treatments to suit your needs. Furthermore it is possible to have direct access to a hygienist without visiting a dentist. A 30 minute consultation with one of Billericay’s most sought-after Hygienists costs just £49.50. Most of our patients will be offered treatments such as a scale and polish on a regular basis, purely as a preventative measure. Scaling is simply the removal of hard, built-up tartar that has formed around the edge of the gums. Frequent brushing at home will never remove all of the plaque and tartar so we will often recommend this treatment to many of our patients.
For some patients, a deeper cleanse may be required and you may be offered root planning. Similar to scaling, it is a non-invasive procedure and simply involves smoothing the tooth root out helping the gums to reattach to the tooth. This is often offered to patients who are displaying the early stages of gum disease with symptoms such as bleeding gums and if introduced early enough it can prevent serious tooth losses.
Our Dental Hygienists are very knowledgeable and passionate about helping patients maintain healthy mouths, they will provide each patient with tailored expert advice about diet and lifestyle in order to help you better manage your own dental hygiene. Even bad breath, a common problem, can be readily addressed by looking at some simple hygiene habits which can be implemented at home.
We are all acutely aware of the need to reduce our sugar consumption but not many of us really know the true impact sugar has on the health of our teeth. In the USA, where vast quantities of sugary drinks are consumed from a very early age by much of the population, nearly 92% of adults have some form of tooth decay compared to Nigeria where only 2% of the population do*. Experts have identified sugar as the main contributing factor. Our Dental Hygiene team will offer advice and help in making lifestyle changes that will have a real immediate impact on the health of your gums and teeth.
For many customers, simply having the confidence to smile can be an issue. In fact in 2015, a Bupa survey revealed that 28 percent of people don’t show their smile when taking pictures on social media because they assume their teeth are unattractive. If stained or discoloured teeth are affecting your self-esteem, we can offer you air polishing using the latest generation prophy powder. This gentle procedure uses a fine jet of compressed air, water and fine powder particles to remove both stains and plaque. It’s far more effective than traditional polishing and less abrasive than polishing discs. It will comfortably remove tea, coffee and smoking stains as well as plaque. It is even suitable for patients with dental implants, veneers, crowns and bridges. Call now to book your appointment
Billericay Dental Care is proud to be one of the most progressive dental
practices in Essex and we trust you’ve found reading this article useful. We hope to see you soon when we can share some more advice with you in person at the practice. We are open throughout the week and offer late appointments as well as on a Saturday. To book an appointment, call 01277 62 54 56 or use our easy online booking form.
* Aubrey Sheiham, emeritus professor of Dental Public Health at University College London.
