Gum Disease – Tips for managing at home

What is gum disease?

Gum disease, known medically as gingivitis or periodontal disease, is when your gums are red, bleeding and/or swollen. It may also affect supporting tissues of the teeth including the bone. It is caused by food and bacteria building up on and around your teeth. When this mix of food and bacteria is soft, its called plaque. After being left there a few days it goes hard and its then called calculus (or sometimes tartar).

Why should I care about gingivitis?

Gum disease can affect the way you look, smell and taste, make it harder to eat, and affect your overall health.

Even in mild gum disease, the appearance of red swollen bleeding gums may affect the confidence of your smile. Bad breath or a bad taste may affect your confidence in talking to friends and kissing your partner.

If left untreated, over time, gingivitis can progress to periodontal disease and wear away the bone supports of your teeth so they get loose and wobbly. In severe cases this can lead to pain, infection, loss of teeth and the need for dentures (false teeth).

Some medical conditions (such as diabetes and heart disease) may get worse with uncontrolled gum disease and improve with treatment of gum disease. This relationship works two ways. Gum disease may get worse with uncontrolled medical conditions and may improve with treatment of medical conditions.

What can I do to prevent gum disease?

The most effective way to prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease is to physically remove plaque bacteria with toothbrush bristles and floss.

The minimal level of oral hygiene required to prevent gum disease is generally accepted as brushing effectively twice each day, and effectively flossing once each day.

Toothbrushing

Effective brushing is:

• Brushing for at least two minutes
• Angling your toothbrush towards the gum
• Brushing the outside, inside and biting-surface of each tooth

A good base level oscillating rotating electric toothbrush

Oral-B Pro 1 – £26.00

• Rotating oscillating
• Rechargeable
• Brushing timer
• Can use separate heads and share the handle between whole family
• Pressure sensor – lets you know if you are pushing too hard

Electric toothbrushes are preferable -read our guide on which is the best toothbrush to use, and watch the guides below on how to use your toothbrush effectively.

Flossing

Flossing helps to clean the places your toothbrush cannot reach between your teeth. Effective flossing is:

1. Not sawing back and forth!
2. Wiggle the floss between the tight contact point
3. Pull to the side to wrap the floss around one of the teeth
4. Take the floss under the gum line
5. Swipe up the side of the tooth
6. Repeat for the other tooth in the same gap

What should I do to treat gum disease?

Treating gingivitis and periodontal disease is really simple! Most of the treatment you can do yourself at home. Follow the steps for effective brushing and flossing above, also start using interdental brushes, and consider using a single tufted brush:

Interdental Brushes

Interdental brushes such as TePe brushes and Vision interdental brushes are an essential addition to toothbrushing and flossing in the treatment of gum disease. They help to clean between your teeth where the bristles of your toothbrush cannot reach.

• Start with the smallest interdental brush
• Gently guide the brush between your teeth all the way through
• Repeat with a larger brush until the brush does not fit that gap
• Use the largest brush that fits each gap
• Clean between every tooth, every day, at least once each day

You can buy TePe brushes on Amazon or in supermarkets and chemists.

You can buy Vision interdental brushes on Amazon.

Single Tufted Brushes

Single tufted brushes are useful for precision cleaning in hard to reach places such as just below the gum line, around crowded teeth, in larger gaps between teeth, and around partially erupted wisdom teeth.

• Angle towards the gum
• Splay the bristles to clean under the gum
• Walk along the gum around each tooth
• Use twice daily – each time you brush your teeth

You can buy single tufted brushes on Amazon or at larger Boots stores.

Bleeding Gums

Don’t be put off by bleeding when you brush, floss or use interdental brushes – it doesn’t mean you are doing it wrong! Bleeding is a symptom of gum disease and is caused by the bacteria making little ulcers under your gums.

The areas that bleed need more cleaning not less! The bleeding should reduce quickly after a few days of excellent oral hygiene, and usually stop within a few weeks.

Mouthwash

A mouthwash may be of some help, especially in the first few weeks of treatment.

A mouthwash is not however a magic cure and is not essential.

Listerine Gum Treatment mouthwash and Corsodyl mouthwash are available to buy on Amazon.

Toothpaste

Which is the best toothpaste for treating gum disease?

Colgate Total, Oral B Pro-Expert and Corsodyl toothpastes are all formulated to be slightly antibacterial in hope that they could help a little in the management of gum disease.

However there is no magic or best toothpaste available to cure gum disease. Instead the most important factor in the successful treatment of gum disease is the mechanical removal of plaque using the bristles on your toothbrush and interdental brushes.

Diet

Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is really import for the health of your gums and so your body can heal. Aim for at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day, pick the brighter more colourful fruit for the most nutrients.

Smoking

If you are a smoker then you are already aware that smoking damages the health of your gums. Smoking makes gum disease more severe and progress more rapidly. If you need a final push to quit smoking – it could be the realisation that you could soon loose your teeth and smile if you do not stop. Contact your GP and ask about your local Stop Smoking Service today or visit NHS Quit Smoking.

When to see a dentist or dental hygienist

Establishing an excellent oral hygiene routine at home is adequate to treat milder gingivitis.

Severe gum disease, however will also require assessment, monitoring and treatment with a dentist and/or dental hygienist or therapist who will advise you how often to attend. Most patients with gum disease will be asked to attend every 3 months or every 6 months.

If the gum disease is new and not something you have already talked about with your dentist then you should book a dental checkup.

If you’re not already registered with a dentist then you can find a dentist near you, and read our guide on registering with a NHS dentist.

Shopping List

Visit our shopping list for Gum Health on Amazon to buy all the things you need to prevent and treat gum disease at home.

You might also be interested in some of our popular dental guides and FAQ:

• Why can’t I find an NHS dentist to register with?
• Should I switch to a bamboo toothbrush?
• Which electric toothbrush should I buy?
• How to register with an NHS dentist
• What should I do if I cannot register with a dentist?
• How much does NHS dental treatment cost?
• Tooth decay – how to prevent and treat tooth decay at home
• Gum disease – how to prevent and treat gingivitis at home
• Wisdom teeth – pain, problems, extractions and crowding
• Which drinks are tooth-kind? and which are tooth-cruel?