Gum Disease

Symptoms of gum disease

Symptoms of gum disease include:

your gums bleeding when you brush your teeth, floss or eat hard foods, such as apples
your gums becoming swollen, red and sore

Gum disease can lead to:

bad breath and a bad taste in your mouth
your gums shrinking
your teeth becoming loose or falling out
a dental abscess

See a dentist if:

your gums bleed when you brush your teeth or eat hard foods
your gums are painful and swollen
you have bad breath
your child has sore, bleeding gums

Ask for an urgent dentist appointment if:

You or your child has gum disease and other symptoms such as:

very sore and swollen gums
teeth becoming loose or falling out
ulcers or red patches in your mouth
a lump in your mouth or on your lip

To see a dentist in an emergency or out of hours:

call your dentist - if they're closed, their answerphone may tell you what to do

If you do not have a dentist or cannot get an emergency appointment:

call 111 - they can advise you what to do
find a dentist near you - ask if you can have an emergency appointment

You may have to pay for your appointment.

Free dental care in pregnancy

Check-ups and treatment from a dentist are free when you're pregnant and for 1 year after you give birth.

Ask your midwife or GP about the maternity exemption (MATEX) certificate - this gives you free NHS prescriptions and free dental care.

Get regular dental check-ups

You should have regular dental check-ups even if you do not have any problems. See a dentist if you have not had a check-up for 2 years (or 1 year if you're under 18).

Treatments for gum disease

Your dentist will check your teeth and gums.

They may also refer you to a specialist for further tests and treatment.

How gum disease is treated depends on how severe it is.

In the early stages, your dentist will:

give you advice about keeping your teeth clean, such as using interdental brushes
advise you to stop smoking, if you smoke
advise you to get your teeth cleaned by a hygienist

If your gum disease is serious, you may need:

to have deep cleaning under your gums
antibiotics
to have some teeth removed
gum surgery

Preventing gum disease

Gum disease is caused by a build-up of plaque on your teeth.

If you do not remove plaque from your teeth by brushing and cleaning in between them regularly, it builds up and irritates your gums.

There are things you can do yourself to prevent gum disease.

Do

brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day - spit after brushing, do not rinse
clean in between your teeth every day using floss or interdental brushes
see a dentist and dental hygienist for regular check-ups, especially if you're pregnant or have type 2 diabetes

Don't

do not use mouthwash straight after brushing your teeth
do not smoke

Find out more

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
Photos: OutUK and LightFieldStudios.