short animation of progress of gum/periodontal disease
This video below
"Healthy Mouth, Healthy You"
(Used with kind permission by McNeil PPC Copyright,INC.2009)
cleverly demonstrates how active gum disease can be linked with systemic illness.
The video below (by Dr. Wenyuan Shi) is of the dental biofilm (plaque) forming on a clean tooth surface in the space of 8 HOURS!!!. can you imagine how many bacteria there are when you don't clean into these awkward areas for a day, days, weeks, months...years!!! Bring on the Floss and these wee spiral brushes that clean in between your teeth!
Below: The best way I can show you how to use Dental Floss ( it takes practice, be patient!)
This is what PERFECT gums look like, - flat, pink, complete triangle of gum between the teeth
This is what these same teeth look like when not brushed properly
This is what a tiny speck of plaque biofilm looks like under a microscope!!
This is Gingivitis. It is the gum's and the immune system responding to the bacterial plaque/biolifm adjacent to the gums.
Remove the plaque/biofilm here, keep it clean by good oral hygiene and in almost every case.... this should fully resolve.
If over the years nothing is done, this progresses into advanced 'periodontal disease' where the plaque/biiofilm and immune system destroy the bone that holds the tooth in place, this used to be known as 'pyorrhea', now known as 'chronic periodontitis' perio around dontitis tooth & / swelling
Acute Gingivitis After a longer time, and perhaps when you are tired,stressed or ill, this is what happens to the gums. This is an extremely painful condition. This was once called 'Trench Mouth' during the WW 1 & 2 wars. The soldiers were so stressed and unable to maintain good oral hygiene, this is what happened to their gums. This condition is still far too prevalent today.
This is the hardened plaque/biofilm. The bacteria absorb the minerals from saliva to protect themselves( a bit like coral). Once this Calculus/Tartar forms, it cannot be brushed away and becomes an easy surface for the bacterial biofilm to colonise.
The only way to remove this calculus is to have it 'scaled away'
There are ways in which to prevent it re-forming.
Below are 2 photographs of the same mouth. Both throats were extremely painful, one as much as the other. The top picture is bacterial tonsillitis with pus clearly visible on the tonsils. the lower picture is of a viral sore throat, equally painful. this helps demonstrate why antibiotics do no work for viral infections and should not be taken unnecessarily.
