Early Warning Signs to Catch Gum Disease in its Tracks:

• Changes in your gums: Look out for red, swollen, or tender gums. Healthy gums should be firm and pink.

• Bleeding gums: Bleeding while brushing or flossing is a telltale sign of gum disease.

• Persistent bad breath: While occasional bad breath is normal, persistent bad breath (halitosis) can indicate gum disease or other oral health problems.

• Loose teeth: If your teeth feel loose or wiggly, it could be a sign of advanced gum disease.

• Receding gums: Healthy gums fit snugly around your teeth. If your gums appear to be pulling away from your teeth, this is a sign of gum disease progression.

At DentiCare, we take a comprehensive approach to keeping your smile healthy, with a strong focus on gum disease prevention and treatment. Here’s how we can help:

• Regular Dental Checkups and Cleanings: Early detection is key! Our dentists are trained to identify the signs of gum disease in its earliest stages, allowing for prompt intervention and treatment. Regular professional cleanings remove plaque and tartar buildup that brushing and flossing alone can’t reach, helping to prevent gum disease from developing in the first place.

• Treatment Options Tailored to Your Needs: Depending on the severity of your gum disease, DentiCare offers a variety of treatment options to address the infection, promote healing, and save your smile.

• Personalized Oral Hygiene Education: Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to your oral health! Our team will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to maintain good oral hygiene at home, including proper brushing and flossing techniques.

This empowers you to play an active role in preventing gum disease from recurring.

• Vitamin and tooth building nutritional advice
• Rebuilding your oral health and confidence

Don’t wait until gum disease steals your smile!

Schedule an appointment with DentiCare today. Let’s work together to keep your teeth healthy and strong for years to come.

Anaesthetic 

Before the extraction, you will be given an anaesthetic to reduce your discomfort. Your mouth will remain numb for a few hours after the extraction. While your mouth is numb, you’ll want to be careful not to bite your cheek, lip or tongue. After the extraction, do not eat any foods that require chewing while your mouth is numb. The numbness should go away within a few hours. If it doesn’t contact the dental office to update. Eat softer foods away from the extraction area, avoid seeds & hard substances for a few days. 

Bleeding 

Your practitioner may place a gauze pack on the extraction site to limit bleeding. This will also help a blood clot to form, which is necessary for normal healing. This gauze pack should be left in place for 45 minutes after you leave the dental office. Do not chew on the pack. There may be some bleeding or oozing after the pack is removed. If so, here’s what to do: 

1. Fold a piece of clean gauze into a pad thick enough to bite on. Dampen the pad with clean, warm water and place it directly on the extraction site. 

2. Apply pressure by closing the teeth firmly over the pad. Maintain this pressure for about 45 minutes. If the pad becomes soaked with blood, replace it with a clean one. 

3. Do not suck on the extraction site or disturb it with your tongue. 

4. A slight amount of blood may leak from the extraction site until a clot forms – bleeding should stop 2 hours post extraction. Oozing may occur, however, if heavy bleeding continues without clotting, call your dental office and update. 

Do Not Disturb! 

The blood clot that forms in the tooth socket is an important part of the normal healing process. You should avoid doing things that might disturb the clot. Here’s how to protect it : 

1. Do not smoke, or rinse your mouth vigorously, avoid the use of mouthwashes – use warm salt water to swish, do not drink through a straw for 24 hours. These activities create suction in the mouth, which could loosen the clot and delay healing. 

2. Avoid alcoholic beverages or mouthwash containing alcohol for 24 hours. 

3. Limit strenuous activity for 24 hours after the extraction. This will reduce bleeding and help the blood clot to form. 

4. Sometimes the blood clot does not form in the first day or two after the extraction, or it forms but breaks down for some reason. The result is called dry socket. This can be very painful, creates an odour and should be reported to your dental office. A dressing may be placed in the socket to protect it until the socket heals and to reduce any pain, or you may require antibiotics. 

Cleaning Your Mouth 

Do not clean the teeth next to the healing tooth socket for the rest of the day. You should, however, brush and floss your other teeth well and begin cleaning the teeth next to the healing tooth socket the next day. You can also brush your tongue. This will help get rid of the bad breath and unpleasant taste that are common after an extraction. The day after the extraction, gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water (a teaspoon salt in 250ml warm water) after meals to keep food particles out of the extraction site. Try not to rinse your mouth vigorously, as this may loosen the blood clot. If you have hypertension or diabetes, discuss with your practitioner whether you should rinse with salt water. Avoid using a mouthwash during this early healing period unless your practitioner advises you to do so. 

Medication 

If your practitioner has prescribed medicine to control pain and inflammation, or to prevent infection, use it only as directed. If the pain medication prescribed does not seem to work for you, do not take more pills or take them more often than directed—call your dental office. 

Keep Teeth for Life 

We trust that you will not need to lose another tooth in your lifetime 

Join the ToothKeepers program at Denticare and discover how we can partner with you and prevent protect and preserve teeth for Life 

Have your teeth checked and cleaned at least once each year or as directed by your practitioner. Always be proactive and not reactive to dental diseases / tooth decay. 

There are simple and cost-effective ways to replace your extracted tooth 

Denticare Dental Surgery 

Office: 0317081040 

WhatsApp Cell: 074 148 3948 

Emergency: 082 927 0983 

www.denticaresa.co.za 

info@denticaresa.co.za