Gingivitis is a condition of inflamed gums that is mainly caused by bacteria. In fact, it is a softer form of periodontal or gum disease. It is a very common and widespread disease throughout the world and is a common phenomenon in men. This disease causes a lot of irritation, swelling or inflammation of the gums and also leads to bloody red gums. This is due to building up of plaque under and along the gum line. Plaque is created by the left over food on our teeth and a bacterium grows and flourishes in the plaque that sticks to the teeth. The bacteria on your teeth can spread in to your bones also and erodes them. This advanced stage is known as periodontitis. This stage or condition is one of the main reasons for teeth loss for many and is the most important cause for teeth loss among the elder generation.
Causes for developing gingivitis
You can develop the condition of gingivitis due to many reasons and unhealthy oral hygiene is one of the most important causes that lead to the building of plaque under and along the jaw line. When the gums are all covered with plaque, they are inflamed and may result in infection. If you ignore this, you may end up getting affected with a more serious dental problem called periodontitis. This serious stage if left untreated may even destroy tissues that support the teeth like periodontal ligaments, the gums as well as the tooth sockets.
There are also some other causes that leads to gingivitis as well. Hormonal changes taking place in the body, particularly during puberty, pregnancy, monthly menstruation as well as menopause also leads to sensitive gums that helps gingivitis to develop in the mouth. Plus, certain illnesses like HIV or cancer that generally affects the immunity system of the body also results in gum problems like gingivitis. Patients suffering from diabetes are at higher risk of getting infections like periodontal diseases.
Other than diseases, various medicines affect the oral health of your mouth. This is because these medications slow down the flow of saliva in your mouth which is very useful for gums and teeth. Certain medications like anti-angina and anti-convulsion drugs can lead to unusual growth of gum tissues.
People who have a family tradition of dental problems have higher risks of developing gingivitis than people who don’t have it in hereditary.
The symptoms of gingivitis can be extremely mild and may vary from person to person. It is quite true that some people find it difficult to diagnose the condition by them because the symptoms are so mild. Whereas, others may face with signs like tenderness, bleeding and mouth sores.
Know the symptoms of gingivitis
Most of the gum diseases grow without any pain in your mouth and you might not know that you are affected. But these symptoms when left untreated may end up in periodontal diseases in future. These are some common symptoms of gingivitis that you should know:
- Gum bleeding whenever you brush your teeth
- Continuous bad breadth along with bad taste in your mouth
- Gums are puffy or swollen and too sensitive to touch
- Mouth sores
- Bloody red gums
These gingivitis symptoms belong to the early stages of the disease. But if this condition is left untreated, then it might take up a dangerous look of an advance stage of periodontitis. If you are suffering from this condition, then you might find the inner layer of the bone and gum pull away from the teeth and create deep pockets. Debris collects in these pockets and develops infection.
Gingivitis or gum inflammation is the early stage of periodontitis or gum disease. However, gingivitis does not always lead to periodontitis.
How to prevent and treat gingivitis
Gingivitis can be prevented by brushing and flossing. You can use toothpastes that control tartar or some antibacterial mouthwash that will help to prevent the growth of bacteria in your mouth. It is better if you choose a mouthwash with chlorhexidine. Avoid using mouthwashes with alcohol contains as these will aggravate your already irritated gum. Besides, these mouthwashes fail to remove compounds with sulphur contents that cause bad breath.
Several researches and studies have proved that proper brushing can help you deal with gingivitis. While flossing is not advised for children as it does little good to small ones. But if you are suffering from the disease, it is better that you do something else apart from only brushing. It is very important that you go for treatment of gingivitis to prevent it from growing.
If the plaque in your mouth has tuned hard into tartar, you must visit the dentist who alone can remove it. If you go for plaque and tartar removal, you are actually curing the early signs of gingivitis. Once you have removed the tartar and plaque, you see a subsiding inflammation in the gums.
Women who are in the postmenopausal phase and suffering from desquamative gingivitis may get relief from the hormone replacement therapy. On the other hand, acute herpetic gingivostomatitis is difficult to cure and it goes away by its own after some time.
In case, the gingivitis in your mouth turns into the advance stage called periodontitis due to negligence, you might need periodontal surgery for that. In the surgery process, your gums will be opened and the infected tissue will be removed along with scaling the root of the infected tooth. Severe stages of the disease may also need bone grafting.
You must always remember that your oral health is related to the overall health of your body. Severe gingivitis can lead to periodontal diseases. Periodontal disease can lead to issues with your heart and other health conditions like diabetes. So, it is really important to maintain a healthy mouth to get an overall healthy body.