In todays Topic, great piece from dental Hygienist, Donna Paton about how the route to healthy teeth starts with healthy gums...
Posted by Eamonn Brady on
“Healthy gums, beautiful smile”
European Gum Health Day; Gum Health Day seeks to raise public awareness of the importance of periodontal health not only to overall health but also to aesthetics, self-esteem, and self-confidence.
Bleeding gums, bad breath, sensitive teeth, gum recession, loose teeth are all common signs of gum disease or periodontitis. The main cause of these symptoms is poor oral hygiene, infrequent or incorrected tooth brushing and lack of cleaning in between your teeth to remove the bacteria (Plaque) and stagnant food build up.
When you suffer from gum disease, an inflammatory response is triggered in your mouth. Your gums change from pink to red or purple, swell up and may bleed. Gum disease is normally painless and therefore many people are unaware they suffer from gum disease. As the gum disease progresses, chronic inflammation of the gums allows bacteria to enter into the blood stream and there is now evidence this can affect your body and your physical health.
Chronic inflammation can cause issues throughout the body and the connection between Gum disease and Heart disease, Diabetes and many other conditions, such as Pneumonia, Stroke, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Cognitive impairment, Obesity, Premature Births ,Erectile Dysfunction and Cancer is now apparent more than ever before.
Dental hygienists will clean teeth but we are also trained to recognise and treat patients for oral diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis (gum disease) and we can administer local anaesthetic to have painless treatment. We can take x-rays and provide other preventive dental care such as fissures sealants and fluoride treatments. We also educate patients young and old on ways to improve and maintain good oral health.
Please visit your Dental Hygienist or Dentist if you have any concerns regarding your gums, teeth or mouth. All dental practices in Mullingar have a registered dental hygienist.
Thanks to Donna Paton for the information for this article. Donna works in Dr Brendan Higgins Dental Practice and Mullingar Dental Centre, Donna has been a registered dental hygienist for 29 years and is the current President of the Irish Dental Hygienist Association.
This article is shortened to fit within Newspaper space limits. More detailed information and leaflets is available in Whelehans
For comprehensive and free health advice and information call in to Whelehans Pharmacy's, log on to www.whelehans.ie or dial 04493 34591 (Pearse St) or 04493 10266 (Clonmore).