Prevention (Thank you Brett - www.edgedent.com.au)

1. Diet: If you have three meals a day and nothing that contains sugar in between, it is almost impossible to get decay. The more stuff with sugar you have between meals (fruit, juice, sugared coffee, soft drinks, lollies etc) the more holes you will get.

2. Cleaning: To prevent gum disease you have to floss and/or woodstick. Once a day is enough. It makes your breath nice and your gums strong.

3. Strong Fillings: If you have old fillings or your teeth are starting to crack, it is important to have them strengthened before problems occur. If you wait for things to hurt treatment can become much more complicated.

4. Regular Visits: Even when everything is fixed as well as possible you've still have to come visit. Mostly because we like seeing you, but also to pick up little things before they become big things.

So that's it in a nutshell. Click on the links below for a fuller explanation. If your brain isn't hurting yet we can teach you other stuff you might like to know.

Gum Disease

If your gums bleed when you brush, you have the first signs of gum (periodontal) disease which, if neglected, could lead to tooth loss.

Healthy gums do not bleed.

Many adults have gum disease without being aware of it. Unlike dental decay, gum disease is usually painless.

The warning signs are:

¥ gums that bleed when brushed

¥ bad breath

¥ change in shape or colour of gums

¥ receding gums

¥ loose teeth

What causes it?

That film that accumulates on your teeth if you don't brush for a while is called plaque. Plaque is a mixture of food particles and sticky saliva that contains the bacteria that cause gum disease. If the bugs are left close to the gum for 2-3 days then the toxins that they produce seep into the gums and cause infection. That's when they start to bleed. But it gets worse.

Say the plaque gets left there for an extended period of time. After a while it gets hard and forms ledges (calculus or tartar). Now more plaque will accumulate and as hard as you try, you'll never get rid of it all. Now the infection is really starting to take hold. But it gets even worse.

 Your teeth penetrate all the way through the skin down to the bone. Nowhere else in the body does this happen. Your gums are the "gasket" that keeps the bugs out of the bone. In some people (about 25%) the infection will move through the gums into the bone surrounding the teeth. When this happens the bone around the tooth is slowly dissolved by the infection until there is no bone holding the tooth in, it gets loose, and has to be pulled out. Sounds great doesn't it?

What can be done?

A few simple procedures carried out at home will return your gums to a healthy state:

Brush your teeth more, not less. Use a soft brush with a small head, and a fluoride toothpaste. Aim the bristles at a 45 degree angle towards the gum line. Use a circular or jiggling motion and dig the brush into the gum line gently but thoroughly. The gums will bleed more at first, but after 5-6 days the bleeding will diminish as the gums get healthier.

Clean between the teeth with dental floss once a day.

The hard plaque deposits (calculus) need to be removed from your teeth. This has to be done by your hygienist, dentist or gum specialist (periodontist). You can't eliminate the infection until all of these deposits are removed. It may only take one visit to do or it may take 4 visits or longer, depending on how bad (or how deep) it is to start with.

So I've got Gum Disease. It's not like it can kill me.

We used to think that. Research published in 2001 has revealed a positive link between gum disease and artery disease. That means if you have gum disease you are more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke.