When I first started in dentistry, I had no idea about Gum Disease; what it was, how it’s caused or how it’s treated. The best analogy I learnt about it was from an Oral Health Therapist I assisted at the very beginning of my career. Picture a tooth is like a tree – when the soil around it is healthy, firm, and cared for; the tree thrives. It cannot fall over easily, and the risk of rot is reduced. When the soil around a tree is loose, full of bad bacteria, lacking in nutrients and uncared for; the tree starts to rot, the roots become exposed and falls. “TIMBER!”
Have you ever noticed your gums bleeding after brushing your teeth? When you smile you notice your gums are looking puffy? Are your teeth feeling sensitive? Are you concerned you might have bad breath? If you answered yes to any of these, you may have some level of Gum Disease.
In Australia 3 in every 10 adults have moderate to severe gum disease. So, what are dental professionals doing to help combat this issue? Apart from stressing the need to brush and floss twice daily; Oral Health Therapist’s (OHT) are in dental practices to assist patients for their regular maintenance appointments.
A OHT is a dental professional who is qualified in both dental hygiene as well as dental therapy. This means for all ages they specialise in controlling oral diseases through check-ups, record taking such as x-rays and cleans for all ages. The dental therapy they can do is, fillings, extractions of deciduous teeth and oral health education.
Gum Disease is when the gums, which is the tissue around the teeth, becomes infected due to a build-up of bad bacteria in the mouth. There are 2 types of gum disease: Gingivitis and Periodontitis. Gingivitis is the mild form, where gums bleed easily and cause bad breath. This can be reversed easily with good oral hygiene. Periodontitis is the severe form and caused bone loss which can cause teeth to fall out.
The role of the OHT regarding gum disease is to diagnose and treat. For Gingivitis, an extra clean between regular 6 monthly check ups may be suggested to reverse the mild symptoms. For Periodontitis a series of deeper cleans using local anaesthetic may be planned, or if the case is very severe, the patient will be referred to a Periodontist which is a dentist specialising in major gum treatments.
The severity if the disease is diagnosed using x-rays and periodontal charting. X-rays show the OHT and dentist the bone level beneath the gums. This will tell them if there is bone loss caused by gum disease as well as sometimes shows calculus build up below the gum line contributing to the disease. Periodontal Charting is the recording of the pocket depth between the tooth and bone beneath the gums. A reading between 1-3mm is healthy anything more starts to show inflammation, then bone loss. Like golf – the aim is to keep those numbers as low as possible. Bleeding is also monitored to show spots of gingivitis and explained to the patient where extra attention needs to be shown when brushing and flossing.
When you come in for your regular maintenance appointments, these records allow us to be able to give you comprehensive care of your entire mouth. It is so important in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Gum Disease.
Our Oral Health Therapist can’t wait to meet you at your next regular appointment!