Gingivitis is one of the common dental problems, the gums are infected, irritated by plaque at the gum line for too long, causing pain and discomfort. Gingivitis is also the first stage of periodontitis
If gingivitis is not treated promptly, you will be susceptible to more dangerous diseases such as periodontitis, tooth abscess, tooth loss, etc. Gingivitis is also a cause of increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, etc. What is gingivitis? How to effectively prevent the disease, what to do when you have gingivitis?
1. What is gingivitis?
Gingivitis (or gingivitis) is a condition in the oral cavity where red, swollen, plaque-covered spots appear on the gums.
Gingivitis has two types: gingivitis and periodontitis.
Gingivitis is a mild tooth inflammation, which can be considered the first stage of periodontitis. When the disease progresses to a more serious stage, due to poor oral care, it is called periodontitis.
Gingivitis (gingivitis) is not a dangerous disease. If it is diagnosed in the early stages, it can be easily treated. However, patients should not be subjective, because it can easily cause dangerous oral diseases later.
2. Who is at high risk of getting gingivitis?
This is a common disease, anyone is at risk of getting this disease. However, some people at higher risk of gingivitis are:
- People who do not have oral hygiene habits
- People who smoke and drink a lot of alcohol
- Women who are pregnant or postpartum due to hormonal changes
- Elderly people, people with diabetes, fungi, HIV virus infection..
- Pregnant or postpartum women with hormonal changes…
Gingivitis in children (usually acute gingivitis) isOne of the most common dental diseases in children, it only appears in the gums, while other parts such as ligaments and tooth roots are not affected.
The rate of women suffering from tooth inflammation during pregnancy is up to 50%, with many symptoms such as: swollen gums on the innermost teeth, bleeding tooth roots, gingivitis… If not treated early, it will affect the health of the mother and fetus. Mothers are susceptible to premature birth, low birth weight, and malnutrition.
In case of gingivitis, wisdom teeth occur when wisdom teeth grow, the gums around the teeth become swollen and red, causing pain, because wisdom teeth grow at many different angles, pressing on other teeth, damaging the gums.
3. Signs of gingivitis
Gingivitis is recognized through signs such as:
- Red gums, accompanied by signs of pain
- Bleeding gums due to damage when brushing too hard, eating foods that are too hard.
- Food plaque sticks to the neck of the teeth, around the gums, forming tartar that contains many bacteria, is difficult to clean, and causes bad breath.
- Gingivitis exposes tooth roots, makes teeth look longer, jaw structure changes, increases the distance between teeth, causing teeth to lean out to all sides.
- Gingivitis makes teeth vulnerable to tooth decay bacteria, teeth will be more sensitive and loose, symptoms appear: high fever, insomnia, loss of appetite…
4. Causes of swollen gums
Common causes of gingivitis are:
- Improper oral hygiene, not cleaning all the plaque between the teeth will cause them to accumulate… causing infection.
- Smoking leaves, eating sweets, and not having good hygiene are all susceptible to gingivitis.
- People with leukemia, diabetes, … are also at very high risk of getting the disease.
- Due to the reduced amount of saliva secreted, the mouth becomes dry, allowing bacteria to grow.
- Growing wisdom teeth causes the gums to swell and hurt. pain
- People with weak resistance, making it easy for bacteria to attack: the elderly, pregnant women,…
Gingivitis appears in many forms, each form has a different manifestation, we need to pay attention to have appropriate treatment methods.
5. Ulcerative necrotizing gingivitis
Is a form of gum infection caused by viral or bacterial attack.
Symptoms of ulcerative necrotizing gingivitis are:
- Red, swollen gums dark or dark purple, ulcers appear on the gums or inside the cheeks.
- Painful gums, foul-smelling mouth, drooling (in young children)
- Bleeding gums, receding gums, swollen lymph nodes, fever, fatigue, irritability…
Normally, the gums will be pink and firmly attached to the teeth. If there are unusual symptoms such as: redness, swelling, tenderness, bleeding when brushing teeth, eating, etc., you should see a dentist for examination and timely treatment, to avoid letting the disease become more severe, affecting the cardiovascular and respiratory organs.
Prolonged inflammation will affect the alveolar bone, the ligaments will gradually resorb, causing the teeth to loosen. If left untreated, teeth will be more sensitive, prone to bleeding when brushing, and even tooth loss…
To treat ulcerative necrotizing gingivitis, it is necessary to coordinate many different treatment methods to eliminate pathogens:
The doctor will eliminate pathogens and factors that can make treatment difficult. The treatment process is by:
- Correcting or replacing improper restorations and fillings if the patient has had fillings, braces, porcelain teeth made…
- Extracting teeth that are too severely damaged.
- Fixing loose teeth.
- Scraping teeth before treatment because The cause of gingivitis is bacteria in plaque and tartar. Therefore, when treating gingivitis, the doctor will scale the patient’s teeth to clean out bacteria.
If the gum inflammation is too severe and there is pus between the teeth and gums, the pus will have to be scraped out and then the teeth cleaned. If you have a tooth abscess, the abscess will need to be incised. If the gums are too severely damaged and recede towards the tooth roots, additional gums will be grafted.
When the gums and tissues around the teeth lose the ability to hold the teeth, the teeth must be removed.
After removing the bacteria, the gums will heal gradually, the ulcers on the gums will gradually disappear.
6. Progressive gingivitis
Is a term to talk about the condition of periodontal disease, the pathological form of gingivitis because the manifestation of this disease is related to the gums, gums… Progressive gingivitis means swelling.
Signs of progressive gingivitis are expressed as follows:
- Easily bleeding gums when brushing teeth, in some cases there is no impact but still bleeding teeth.
- Too much tartar, 2mm thick or more, covering the gums and bridging from one tooth to another.
- In cases where the inflamed gums spread between teeth, with teeth that are decayed, have holes, are not filled or the fillings are peeled off, the gums are bulging, feeling There is a lump of flesh in the middle of the tooth.
Although not life-threatening, progressive gingivitis greatly affects oral health. This is the severe stage of gingivitis. In this case, it is impossible to keep the tooth, because the tooth root has been destroyed by severe infection and cannot be restored.
Therefore, when you detect the above signs, you should quickly see a doctor to get treatment as soon as possible.good health.
To treat this disease, it is necessary to combine dental treatment with supportive measures at home.
The doctor will treat gingivitis with the following steps:
- Examination and treatment plan.
- Blood test to confirm Determine whether the gingivitis patient has chronic diseases: hemophilia, diabetes, blood pressure.
- Oral hygiene, ensuring a clean oral environment.
- Scraping tartar, taking care not to affect the gums and tooth enamel.
- Remove inflamed gum tissue, regenerate the gum line.
- Clean the oral cavity and the newly regenerated gum area by rinsing with salt water.
- Apply periodontal dressing to help the gums recover. Healing time will take about 1 week.
- In combination with the treatment regimen, the doctor will prescribe an additional prescription (antibiotics and anti-inflammatory) to support the treatment process, helping to recover faster.
7. Gingivitis and treatment
When mildly swollen gums, you can use the folk method of using honey to treat gingivitis, because honey can increase the body’s resistance and treat dental diseases very well.
Using honey with lemon, salt… can also treat gingivitis very effectively. Persistently doing it every day will give you positive results.
If treatment with honey is not effective, you should see a doctor for examination and advice. Depending on each case of infection, your doctor will treat you as follows:
- If your gums are swollen, sore… at a mild level, the doctor will scrape off the tartar to prevent bacteria from the tartar from attacking the gum area, increasing the level of inflammation.
- If the gums have pus, the doctor will remove the tartar and clean the pockets. pus containing bacteria under the gums, prescribe some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs for the patient.
- When the gums are swollen due to wisdom teeth growing, you will have to remove the wisdom teeth so as not to affect the adjacent teeth.
- In case the gums are too swollen, the teeth become loose, affecting the soft tissue. You will have to have surgery to remove the damaged periodontal part, to avoid future consequences.
The effectiveness of gingivitis treatment will depend on the patient’s oral hygiene and care regime.
8. How to effectively prevent gingivitis
To prevent and limit swelling and gingivitis, avoiding future diseases. The best preventionis to have an active oral care regimen:
- Regularly use dental floss to clean food from between teeth and roots, avoid pulling the floss too hard because it will cause bleeding gums.
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day, 30 minutes after eating and before eating. When going to bed, brush your teeth for an average of 2 to 3 minutes each time with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Brush gently to avoid damaging your gums.
- Regularly rinse your mouth with salt water or green tea to disinfect and reduce swelling and inflammation
- Supplement Vitamin A and C such as: broccoli, papaya, sweet potatoes, oranges, lemons, grapefruit…
- Drink at least 2 liters of water/day to limit dry mouth. Chew sugar-free gum to increase salivation if your mouth is too dry.
- Do not smoke, do not drink alcohol, beer, soft drinks… Limit eating foods high in sugar such as cakes, candies,
- Scrape teeth periodically twice a year.
- Massage gums to increase blood circulation, helping healthy gums strong
Hope this article can provide you with the necessary information about gingivitis. To avoid damage related to gums, gums… You should pay attention to recognizing the signs of gingivitis as soon as possible, so that you can receive timely treatment. When your gums show signs of severe swelling and pain, you should go to a reputable dental clinic for a doctor to examine, find the cause and treat it early, to avoid future complications.
