If you’re someone who has been told by the dentist that you have gingivitis, you’re not alone. This is a mild type of gum disease that’s created by the plaque that builds up within the gumline. You might feel bad about this, but don’t be. In fact, it’s quite common. But the problem is, if you’re not careful, this creates something worse, so the sooner you take care of the problem, the better that it’ll be. Here, we’ll talk about this, and tips to have better gum health too.
What Gingivitis Is
This is basically where a bacteria builds along where your gum line is, and it creates a plaque that’s a film that’s soft and sticky that sits around there.
Plaque in general, when you don’t get it taken off by the dentist, becomes tartar, and this needs to be taken off by your dentist.
They both contribute directly to gum disease, and the early stages of this are called gingivitis.
About half of the adults within the US alone deal with this. While it’s mild to start with, when you don’t properly treat this, it becomes what’s called periodontitis, and that’s much more severe. It can cause teeth to become loose, and in the worst situations, they might even fall out, which is why when you get a diagnosis for this, you want to treat this immediately.
The Symptoms
The best way to get this treated is to talk to your doctor. But if you notice something is wrong, you can go in early on before it gets worse.
The symptoms of gingivitis that you typically deal with include:
Gums that are swollen, puffy, or receding
The gums feel tender
It becomes more red than pink
The gums will bleed when you brush or floss
You have a bad taste within the mouth
Your breath is bad
The teeth are loose
If you start to notice this, then you’ll want to talk to your doctor
The Risk Factors
There are a few risk factors that you need to be mindful of.
Lifestyle choices, including smoking a lot, not brushing your teeth or flossing, a diet that’s unhealthy, stress, and obesity, are major contributors to this.
Age is another one. Those who are over the age of 65 develop this in some capacity.
Medications can also play a major part in this. if you have certain medications, they can dry out the mouth, increasing the risk for gingivitis.
Finally, there are other diseases that can cause this. diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis, or even pregnancy can cause this to develop in some capacity.
Preventative Care
There are a few things that you can do to make this better for you.
First, you want to brush twice daily. If brushing on the regular is already something that you do, look at your technique. You might need to just be gentler with your teeth, and use the correct pressure so that the gums don’t get irritated.
With this as well, you also want to make sure that you floss between each of your teeth once daily, in order to eliminate the bacteria and other things that irritate the teeth, reducing the inflammation that’s there.
Finally, you want to incorporate mouth rinses, so that there is more protection, and it can be used to treat infections, and the growth of bacteria. Talk to your doctor for a good recommendation before you get a chance to do this.
Gingivitis is not fun, but proper prevention and care can make this easier on your oral health, and make things easier.
