21 February 2023

How Can You Tell If You Have Gum Disease? 

Common signs or symptoms for gum disease are: 

  • Your gums are red, sore and swollen 
  • Your gums bleed when you brush your teeth, floss or eat hard foods 

When you have gum disease, you might experience the following: 

  • Bad breath 
  • Bad taste in the mouth 
  • Your teeth starts to fall out or become loose 

Gum disease treatment 

Treatment depends on the severity of gum disease. In the early stages: 

  • Your teeth might get professionally cleaned (remove the bacterial and plaque build-up that irritates and inflames the gums) 
  • You might receive advice about stopping smoking (if you’re a smoker) and on how to better clean your teeth 

But in the advanced stages or if the gum disease is already serious, the treatment will be one or more of the following methods: 

  • Deep cleaning below the gums 
  • Antibiotics 
  • Tooth / teeth extraction if necessary 
  • Gum surgery 

How to prevent gum disease 

Advanced gum disease might require surgery. But even in the early stages, gum disease can affect your overall oral health, including your breath and your gum’s appearance. To prevent these, it’s good to do the following: 

  • Brush your teeth at least twice a day 
  • Replace your toothbrush once every 3 months (a toothbrush will be less effective as it gets older) 
  • Use floss or interdental brushes 
  • Avoid smoking (smoking can lead to gum disease, tooth staining, tooth decay and tooth loss) 

It’s also good to visit a dentist once every 6 or 12 months. This is to stop the further progress of gum disease if it’s still in the early stage (and prevent surgery and other expensive treatments). It’s also a practical way to prevent teeth and gum problems in the first place and maintain their healthy appearance. 

We should take gum disease seriously because it can result in tooth loss and infection. A one- or two-hour visit to the dentist can help prevent that. It’s a small step to protecting your oral health and maintaining your confidence. That’s because if you have gum disease, it’s possible that bad breath is also present. 

Contact us today here at Rose Dental if you suspect you have gum disease (symptoms to look for are bleeding, swollen, red or sore gums). Whether it’s in the early or advanced stage, we can apply an appropriate and effective treatment.