Sarah considers herself very healthy. She eats well, exercises each day and loves practicing yoga. Sarah is also diligent with her water intake and ensures she eats loads of organic fruit and veggies. She avoids alcohol and refined sugar. To Sarah, health and well-being was always a priority. It came as a huge surprise to Sarah to find out that she had gum disease. Sarah had neglected a very important aspect of her well-being for years – her oral health.

After noticing bleeding whilst brushing her teeth, Sarah booked in an appointment with our team. Following a thorough examination, Dr Finnegan explained to Sarah that she has moderate gum disease. Her gums are puffy, inflamed and have loosened from the tooth structure, allowing harmful bacteria and plaque to enter the blood stream.

Gum Disease is Chronic Inflammation

gum-disease

You can feel healthy and not know you have gum disease!

Periodontal disease or gum disease is an active bacterial infection in the body. We know that any infection in the body is detrimental to our health. However, every day we see patients who have allowed their gums to remain infected for several months or years. Staggeringly, 90% of adults of 30 years old have some form of active gum disease. A further 65% of teenagers aged 15+ already have gingivitis or periodontal disease.

The mouth is an integral part of your body’s immune system. Chronic bacterial infections attack the immune system, causing an inflammatory response. Your body fights to defend against this inflammation. Bacterial infection in the mouth directly impacts your immune and overall health. This is because chronic infection and inflammation weakens the immune system. This significantly affects your well-being. Several serious health conditions have been linked to chronic gum disease. Some of these include stroke, heart disease, diabetes and oral cancer.

How to Treat Gum Disease

Gum disease is very common, but it doesn’t have to be. Simply floss regularly and brush your teeth diligently twice a day. Having regular check-up and professional clean appointments can ensure your teeth and gums are infection free. This means you will no longer be ingesting harmful toxins and bacteria every single day, reducing the inflammation in your body and helping to keep you healthy. Thanks to the friendly team at Vivid Dental, Sarah has gotten her oral health back under control and now takes care of her gums as well as her entire body.