How does gum disease make my teeth loose?

Bacteria builds up in all of our mouths all day every day, whether we like it or not. The most susceptible area is along the junction between your gums and your teeth.

A lot of people don’t realise that there is not a perfect cuff between your gums and teeth. In fact there is a natural pocket (imagine a natural trough of 1-3mm around every single tooth including in between them). This is where the plaque bacteria do the most harm. They’re having a party in there!

They can cause direct damage to the gum connection around the teeth by producing enzymes, acids and toxins, at the base of the pocket.

In addition, the uncontrolled response of your body’s immune system is what can add to this damage in some people. In this situation your immune system can protect you and inadvertently contribute to the problem.

This is why we always explain that bacteria is the trigger for inflammation. BUT your body’s susceptibility to the trigger is what affects:

• Your risk of gum disease
• The severity of gum disease affecting it
• The rate of deterioration of your gum disease.