The main signs to look out for are:
- Red gums instead of a healthy pink colour
- Any traces of blood when you brush or floss. Like any part of your body, healthy gums should not bleed – even just a little bit or if it doesn’t hurt.
Visit your dentist if you think you’ve identified any problems with your teeth or gums. Here is a more detailed look at the signs and symptoms of gum disease:
This is how your mouth should look if your gums are healthy:
- Pink, healthy gums
- Teeth firmly attached to the gums, with the gums forming an arc high up on the teeth
- No bleeding when you brush, floss or eat
- Red gums, instead of a healthy pink colour
- Some bleeding when you brush, floss or eat
- Red gums
- Regular bleeding when you brush, floss or eat
- White or yellow plaque deposits seen around gum lines where they meet the tooth surface
- Tooth sensitivity where the gum line on the tooth surface has started to recede
- Red gums
- Very low gum line where gums have receded
- Teeth look very long where the gum line on the tooth surface has receded
- Gums bleed of their own accord
These symptoms are significant and shouldn’t be ignored. If you have any of the symptoms listed you should consult your dentist or hygienist.
Mouth ulcers can occur on the inside of our lips or cheeks, on your tongue, or on the floor of your mouth. They are usually:
- Round or oval in shape
- White, yellow or grey in colour
- Inflamed around the edge
Mouth ulcers can be very painful – especially when you are eating, drinking, or brushing your teeth. Usually, they only last between 10-14 days, although in more severe cases, they may last for several weeks. If mouth ulcers do persist and become more painful and inflamed you should visit your dentist.
Minor Ulcers
The most common type of ulcer
- Small (2-8mm in diameter) and round or oval
- White, yellow or grey in colour
- Normally heal naturally within 10-14 days
Major Ulcers
Deeper and larger than minor ulcers
- Large (1cm or more in diameter) and round or oval
- Raise or irregular border
- Normally heal over several weeks
Herpetiform ulcers
Multiple, pinhead-sized sores
- Range in number from 5 to 100
- Can fuse together to form a large, irregular shaped sore
- Extremely painful
