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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    I have periodontal disease. What can I do to avoid losing my teeth?

    Related Topic
    Dentistry
    I have a gun disease and I'm only 31. What should I do to avoid loosing my front lower teeth cause all the gums are nearly gone. Any advice plz
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    Dr Daniel James

    Dentist

    Hi Firas,

    To have such advanced gum disease at your age is a concern. There's a few main pieces of advice for anyone with gum disease.

    Firstly, are you a smoker? If so, you need to give serious consideration to quitting, as smoking is one of the major risk factors. Secondly, a visit to your GP is advised as some chronic medical conditions such as diabetes can make gum disease progress rapidly.

    Specific dental advice is really about excellent oral hygiene, and by that I mean thorough brushing of your teeth and gums, flossing (or using interdental brushes) to clean in between your teeth, and seeing a dentist or even a periodontist regularly to clean beneath the gums.

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    Dr Melissa Huang

    Dentist

    Dr Melissa Huang completed her dental degree at the University of Melbourne with honours. During her time there, she received the Tuckfield and Shepherd prize … View Profile

    Hi Firas,

    I agree with Dr Daniel James' advice.  I would also liek to add that it would be important to see a General Dentist who has an interest in the treatment of gum disease, or alternatively a gum specialist, to have your teeth and gums assessed.  They will be able to diagnose the extent of your gum disease and offer the best treatment and advice on how to help you save your teeth. 

    31 is very young to lose your teeth due to gum disease.  If you do have an aggressive form of gum disease that causes you to lose teeth at this age, implants will not be an option for you to replace those missing teeth.  The reason is that the latest research has shown that implants are 3 times as susceptible to gum disease compared to natural teeth. This means that the gum disease which has destroyed the bone supprt around your teeth will be 3 times as aggressive on any artificial implants.  

    My advice would be to find a good dentist whom you trust and try to retain your natural teeth if you can. Nothing humans have invented will ever be as good as the set of teeth that you’re born with :)

     

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  • Dr Frank Farrelly

    Dentist

    Principal Dentist at Darlinghurst Dental, a high quality, affordable practice located in the heart of Darlinghurst. A high emphasis on customer service and impeccable cross … View Profile

    Further to what has already been said, gum disease is an inflammatory response by your body to microorganisms, in plaque and biofilm. Keeping the plaque away helps to keep the disease at bay. Some people are more suseptible to gum disease than others, particularly those with a family history of gum disease or diabetes and smokers as the other dentists have mentioned.

    Treatment of gum disease does not usually aim to reverse the process, but rather to halt it. Treatment with general dentist who does gum treatments or with a periodontist, a gum specialist, can halt the disease. They will deep clean around your teeth and advise you on the best way to clean your teeth, perhaps with special toothpast and or mouthwashes.

    After that, the maintenance is key. Studies show that those who have had treatment for gum disease are twice as likely to keep their teeth if they attend every 3 months for cleaning. The teeth they do lose, they keep much longer.

    In essence the crucial part of gum disease is getting initial professional cleaning and then fastidious oral hygiene and 3monthly professional cleans. Best of luck

    Dr F rank Farrelly

    Darlinghurst Dental

    http://darlinghurstdental.com.au

    30 Burton St, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010



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