Harley Street Dental Clinic

Regular visits to a dentist and hygienist are vital in fighting gum disease. At Harley Street Dental Clinic, our unique collection of dental experts can treat gum problems effectively, even if you have developed the more advanced form of gum disease, periodontitis.

Gum disease is a very common condition and many people will experience it at some point in their life. Caught early, it can be treated and managed without too many problems. However, it is also one of the leading causes of tooth loss for adults in the UK. By attending six-month check-ups with your dentist, alongside regular dental hygiene appointments, you can minimise the chances of the condition becoming serious.

Often, your dentist or hygienist will be able to spot the early signs of gum disease even before you have experienced any noticeable symptoms at home. However, if you do spot any early warning signs, you should book an appointment at Harley Street Dental Clinic as soon as possible. We are proud to focus on preventative dentistry, and can help you get back to full oral health.

What are the early signs of gum disease?

Gum disease often starts to develop without many noticeable symptoms. However, early warning signs include:

• Bleeding gums, particularly when you brush your teeth
• Red, swollen gums, that may or may not be painful
• Persistent bad breath without an obvious cause

Should you experience any of these symptoms, you should see a dentist as soon as you can. Early intervention makes the condition easier to treat, and can ultimately save your teeth.

Left untreated, the early form of gum disease – called gingivitis – can develop into the more serious form, periodontitis, which causes tooth loss.

Harley Street Dental Clinic’s specialist periodontist, Dr Pedja Pavlovic, can treat even complex cases of periodontitis, so even if you have developed the advanced form of gum disease, we will do everything we can to preserve your teeth.

Everyone knows a dentist is the best person to keep your teeth, gums, and mouth healthy – but did you know that regular visits to the dental practice are also important to your general health? At our Harley Street clinic, we usually recommend you visit the dentist at least every six months for a general check-up to keep you healthy. Sometimes your clinician will tell you that you need to visit more frequently, and you should always follow this advice.

One of the most obvious links between dental health and general health is that the condition of your teeth and gums can affect your diet. If you have lost some or all of your natural teeth, your ability to eat a full, healthy and balanced diet, full of fruit and vegetables, will be impacted, and you are likely to find yourself restricted to a soft food or liquid diet.

As well as taking the pleasure out of eating, this can make it difficult to get adequate nutrients to keep your body healthy. Dietary restrictions also arise in some patients who wear traditional dentures, as they find that their jaw bone shrinks and their dentures become loose, making biting, chewing, and even speaking more difficult.

A dentist will always recommend replacing missing teeth to help eliminate these problems. At Harley Street Dental Clinic many of our patients have benefited from treatment with dental implants, which hold restorations permanently and securely in place, enabling you to enjoy a full diet once more.

Studies have also shown a link between gum disease and other conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, strokes, and some problems in pregnancy. At Harley Street Dental Clinic our skilled team of experts can treat gum disease effectively – even if it has advanced to become the more serious form, periodontitis or periodontal disease – which helps to keep your mouth and your whole body healthy.

There are many more conservative treatments than surgery available to your dentist, and in many cases an operation will be the last option. However, oral surgery is sometimes necessary and can significantly improve your health and wellbeing. At Harley Street Dental Clinic, we benefit from the skills and experience of maxillofacial surgeons Mr Paul Norris, Mr Nasser A Nasser, Ms Helen Witheroe, Mr Stephen Dover and Mr Peter Hardee, who can help patients with a range of conditions affecting not just the mouth, but also the jaw, face, and neck.

Why do I need oral surgery?

We see patients at our Harley Street clinic who require oral surgery for a number of reasons. This includes the placement of dental implants, treatment of TMD/TMJ problems, some orthodontic conditions, and facial bone fractures. The most common oral surgical procedure, however, remains the extraction of wisdom teeth.

Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the final “adult” teeth to develop, often not appearing until you are 17 years old or older. Whilst many people’s wisdom teeth cause no issues, they are prone to becoming impacted or not fully erupting. This makes them difficult to clean, meaning there’s an increased chance of plaque building up, increasing the chances of tooth decay and gum disease. Painful cysts sometimes form because these teeth develop internally, damaging the jaw bone and/or surrounding teeth.

We benefit from full surgical and recovery facilities at our Harley Street clinic, so if your dentist says you need oral surgery, you can rest assured you will be in safe, expert hands in comfortable surroundings.

Your dentist may treat you under local anaesthetic, depending on your needs and the condition being treated, or may use sedation.

Always follow your dentist’s post-operative instructions, which may include a liquid diet and moderate use of over-the-counter painkillers, to ensure a speedy recovery.