Understanding Gingivitis: Symptoms, Treatments, and Preventive Care
Hello, everyone. My name is Dr. Alfonso Delgado from Delgado Dental Group, and I'm here to answer a few questions about gingivitis.
What is gingivitis? Is it different from periodontitis?
Gingivitis is basically when you have bleeding of the gums, sometimes a little swelling, and some tenderness. Periodontitis is when you actually have a bit of loss of the structures that hold your teeth in, which mainly is the bone.
What are the first symptoms of gingivitis?
Usually, the first symptom is a little puffiness of the gums and bleeding sometimes when you're brushing your teeth, flossing, or even eating.
How dangerous is gingivitis?
It's dangerous because it's the first step in a progressive disease called periodontitis. As that disease progresses, you have less and less support of your teeth, and they get loose, eventually leading to tooth loss. Another danger of gingivitis progressing into periodontitis is the health effects. There are many studies that document that gum disease causes heart disease, increases diabetes, and is related to dementia, Alzheimer's, and countless other physical ailments.
How does a dentist treat gingivitis?
The first way is by at-home brushing at least twice a day. I prefer after every meal, and then flossing morning and evening. By doing this, we are ridding our mouth of the plaque that's building up on our teeth, which is just the bacteria causing the puffiness and bleeding in your gums.
How long does it take to cure gingivitis?
That's a good question. It's really hard to answer. It's your body curing itself. What we're trying to do is remove the plaque from our teeth, keep our teeth and gums as clean as possible, and then it's up to your body to heal it. If you feel that your gum disease is not healing, that could point to some underlying health issue like diabetes or some kind of immune problem.
When should I schedule a dental appointment if I suspect I have gingivitis?
If you think you have gingivitis, don't delay. You should schedule your appointment with the dentist as soon as possible because, as I mentioned before, gum disease is progressive and will worsen. Time does not help things get better, so you really want to get on top of it as soon as possible before it worsens.
I hope I was able to answer all your questions about gingivitis. If you have any other questions or if you want to schedule an appointment, you can call us at Delgado Dental Group.
If you have questions, we would love to answer them for you. Please give us a call at the office at (209) 474-8888. Our staff would love to talk with you!