Oral Health

Evidence-based guides to bleeding gums, gum disease and bad breath — written from the clinical research, reviewed against what LACALUT® has learnt treating gums since 1925.

What Plaque Actually Is (And Why Brushing Alone Misses It)

What Plaque Actually Is (And Why Brushing Alone Misses It)

on Jul 07 2026
Plaque is not food stuck on your teeth. It is a structured, living bacterial biofilm that glues itself to your enamel and builds a matrix shielding it from rinses and antiseptics. That one fact explains why mouthwash cannot replace a toothbrush, why brushing must be mechanical and daily, and why gum disease always starts in the gaps a brush cannot reach.
Dry Mouth At Night: Why It Happens And How To Fix It

Dry Mouth At Night: Why It Happens And How To Fix It

on Jul 06 2026
Salivary flow falls to its lowest point during sleep in everyone, so a drier mouth overnight is normal physiology. The real question is what is amplifying it: mouth breathing, nasal obstruction, snoring and sleep apnoea, medication, alcohol or dehydration. Here is every cause, how to tell which one is yours, and the fixes that actually work.
How Long Until Bleeding Gums Stop? A Realistic Timeline

How Long Until Bleeding Gums Stop? A Realistic Timeline

on Jul 05 2026
Bleeding gums caused by plaque-driven gingivitis usually start easing within the first week of correct brushing and daily interdental cleaning, and are typically clearly reduced or gone by around two weeks. If they are still bleeding after that, the cause is not your technique - it is calculus below the gum line or a systemic driver, and it needs a dentist.
Sensitive Teeth Or Receding Gums? How To Tell The Difference

Sensitive Teeth Or Receding Gums? How To Tell The Difference

on Jul 04 2026
Sensitive teeth are a symptom, not a diagnosis. Receding gums, acid erosion, a cracked tooth, decay, a failing filling, grinding and gum inflammation each cause sensitivity differently — and each needs a different fix. This guide walks the full differential: what triggers each one, how long the pain lasts, whether it hits one tooth or many, and the one test that tells you when to stop reaching for toothpaste and book a dentist.
Chlorhexidine Mouthwash: Who Should Actually Use It

Chlorhexidine Mouthwash: Who Should Actually Use It

on Jul 03 2026
Chlorhexidine mouthwash stains teeth because it binds to the tooth surface and keeps releasing for around 12 hours - and that binding is exactly why it works. The staining is extrinsic, reversible and not enamel damage. Here is who should actually use chlorhexidine, who should not, and how long a course should run.
Mouthwash: When It Helps And When It Does Nothing

Mouthwash: When It Helps And When It Does Nothing

on Jul 02 2026
Most mouthwash sold in Australia is a breath mint in a bottle: a cosmetic rinse masks odour for twenty minutes and does nothing to the plaque biofilm underneath. Here is what chlorhexidine, essential oils, CPC, zinc and fluoride each actually do, why rinsing is NOT brushing, and the after-brushing mistake that washes away the fluoride you just applied.
Braces, Aligners And Gum Inflammation: How To Protect Your Gums

Braces, Aligners And Gum Inflammation: How To Protect Your Gums

on Jul 01 2026
Swollen, bleeding gums are not the price of straight teeth. Brackets and wires are plaque traps, and clear aligners bring their own hidden risks. Here is exactly how to clean around both, and why gum overgrowth and white spot lesions are avoidable.
Interdental Brushes vs Floss: What The Evidence Says

Interdental Brushes vs Floss: What The Evidence Says

on Jun 30 2026
For gaps big enough to take one, interdental brushes have a stronger evidence base than floss for reducing plaque and gum bleeding. Floss is the right tool for tight contacts where a brush cannot fit — and doing neither is the only genuinely wrong answer.
Are Electric Toothbrushes Better For Your Gums?

Are Electric Toothbrushes Better For Your Gums?

on Jun 29 2026
The Cochrane evidence does favour powered toothbrushes: they reduce plaque and gingivitis more than manual brushes, and oscillating-rotating designs have the strongest data behind them. But the effect is modest, and a manual brush used properly beats an expensive electric brush used badly - because pressure, time, coverage and interdental cleaning decide whether your gums bleed, not the motor.
Best Toothpaste For Bleeding Gums In Australia (2026)

Best Toothpaste For Bleeding Gums In Australia (2026)

on Jun 28 2026
Most toothpaste does nothing for bleeding gums, because it was never designed to. Only three ingredients have a real evidence base: aluminium lactate, chlorhexidine and stannous fluoride. Here is an honest comparison of what is on the Australian shelf, and how to read a toothpaste label in 20 seconds.
Smoking, Vaping And Your Gums: What Nicotine Actually Does

Smoking, Vaping And Your Gums: What Nicotine Actually Does

on Jun 27 2026
Nicotine constricts the blood vessels in your gum tissue, so smokers and vapers often stop bleeding - and read that as healthy gums. It is the opposite: the inflammation continues, the bone loss continues, and the warning sign has simply been switched off. Here is what smoking and vaping actually do to your gums, and what changes when you quit.
How To Brush If Your Gums Are Bleeding: A Technique Guide

How To Brush If Your Gums Are Bleeding: A Technique Guide

on Jun 26 2026
Bleeding is not a reason to stop brushing the area - it is the reason to clean it properly. This is the full technique guide: the Modified Bass method, the 45-degree angle into the gum line, correct pressure, brush selection and interdental cleaning, step by step.
Why Older Australians Lose Teeth — And How to Stop It

Why Older Australians Lose Teeth — And How to Stop It

on May 26 2026
Tooth decay is not the main reason older Australians lose teeth. Gum disease is. How it takes teeth, and how to stop it.
Why Your Breath Smells Worse in the Morning — And How to Fix It

Why Your Breath Smells Worse in the Morning — And How to Fix It

on Jan 20 2026
Morning breath is caused by overnight bacterial activity in a dry, low-oxygen mouth. Why it happens, and what actually fixes it.
What Causes Bleeding Gums? Every Cause Explained

What Causes Bleeding Gums? Every Cause Explained

on Dec 02 2025
Bleeding gums are never normal. They always point to something underneath — usually gingivitis, sometimes not. Every cause, explained.
7 Warning Signs of Gum Disease You Should Never Ignore

7 Warning Signs of Gum Disease You Should Never Ignore

on Nov 04 2025
Gum disease affects roughly half of Australian adults, and most do not know they have it. These are the seven signs worth acting on before it reaches the bone.
Why Do Some People Always Have Bad Breath? The Bacterial Truth

Why Do Some People Always Have Bad Breath? The Bacterial Truth

on Oct 07 2025
Bad breath is not caused by poor hygiene alone. People who brush twice a day can still have it — because the real source is bacterial, and it lives where a brush cannot reach.