Healthy teeth, healthy gums, healthy you

Teeth and gums go together. The gums and the bone underneath them are the foundation the teeth stand in, and teeth in a healthy foundation last. Once that foundation is lost to gum disease it does not grow back, which is why prevention is worth more here than almost anywhere else in dentistry.

Missing teeth can be replaced, with implants or dentures, and modern replacements are good. They are still replacements. Keeping your own teeth is easier, cheaper and better than anything we can put in their place.

What the wider health research says, and does not say

You will often read that gum disease causes heart disease, diabetes, complications in pregnancy or dementia. What the research actually shows is an association: people with gum disease are more likely to have some of these conditions, and gum disease and diabetes in particular appear to influence each other in both directions. Associations with cardiovascular disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes and dementia have been reported, but the evidence that treating gum disease changes the course of those conditions is much weaker than the headlines suggest.

So the honest position is this. Gum disease is worth preventing because it causes bleeding, bad breath, receding gums and eventually tooth loss, and those are reasons enough. Any wider benefit is a possible bonus, not a promise.

Seven habits that keep your teeth

1. Brush twice a day, last thing at night and again in the morning, with a fluoride toothpaste.
2. Clean between your teeth once a day, with interdental brushes or floss.
3. Cut down on how often you have sugary and acidic food and drink. Frequency matters more than quantity.
4. Brush baby teeth as soon as they come through.
5. If crowding makes your teeth genuinely difficult to clean, consider straightening them with Invisalign.
6. Avoid smoking, and keep alcohol moderate. Smoking is one of the strongest risk factors for gum disease, and it also masks the bleeding that would otherwise warn you.
7. Keep to your check-up and hygiene appointments, and do not put off treatment that has been recommended. Small problems stay small for a while, and then they do not.

None of this is difficult. It is about twice a day for two minutes, plus a few minutes cleaning between the teeth, done consistently for years. If you would like a look at where your gums are now, book a new patient examination or get in touch.