How Long Does It Take to Cure Gingivitis?

Gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease, occurs when dental plaque and bacteria build on your teeth to cause infection. Typical symptoms of gingivitis include red, swollen, and bleeding gums. Treatment for gingivitis includes regular dental cleanings and enhanced oral hygiene practices at home between dental visits.

What Is Gingivitis?

The early stage of gum disease is called gingivitis because it develops from plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth resulting in red, swollen, and bleeding gums. Managing gingivitis successfully with the help of the dentist near me is easy. However, if you leave it untreated, it progresses to periodontitis, a severe gum infection that results in bone loss in the jaw.

Who Does Gingivitis Affect?

Gingivitis is more likely to occur in males, although research is not specific about why. Hormonal differences in men might make them more likely to succumb to related diseases. People living below the poverty line and with minimal education are also more likely to get gingivitis besides smokers because tobacco use weakens the body’s immune system to battle infections.

Gingivitis is a common infection affecting nearly all adults over 30.

Signs and Symptoms of Gingivitis

The signs of gingivitis are not always apparent in the initial stages, making it challenging to realize whether you have it. Unfortunately, the condition worsens over time, making you develop lousy breath that does not subside even after brushing, easily bleeding gums after brushing your teeth, red and swollen gums, temperature sensitivity to hot and cold foods, and tenderness or pain when chewing food.

Gingivitis Causes

Gingivitis is an inflammatory response of your body to plaque and tartar accumulation on your teeth. When you allow plaque and tartar to remain on your teeth without getting dental cleanings from the dentist in Union City, your gums become irritated, red, and swollen.

You become more vulnerable to developing gingivitis if you are pregnant or experience hormonal changes related to oral health, don’t care for your teeth as suggested by your dentist or have crooked teeth, have diabetes, have a family history of gum disease, or smoke and chew tobacco.

Specific prescription and OTC medications can also cause a dry mouth to contribute to gingivitis. Examples of medications include drugs for epilepsy, some cancer treatments, calcium channel blockers for blood pressure, and oral contraceptives.

Gingivitis Diagnosis

If you exhibit signs of gingivitis, it helps if you see the dental clinic nearby for a checkup. The dentist will inspect your mouth for bleeding, signs of the infection like redness and swelling, loose teeth, and gums pulling away from your teeth. If the dentist suspects gingivitis, dental X-rays can reveal if the condition has affected the jawbone beneath. In such cases, they will refer you to a gum disease specialist.

How Long Does It Take to Cure Gingivitis?

The treatment for gingivitis focuses on controlling the infection and restoring healthy teeth and gums. Your dentist will thoroughly clean your teeth to remove harmful bacteria, dental plaque, and tartar. In addition, the gingivitis treatments include:

• Scaling and Root Planing : this process is similar to routine dental cleanings but gets deeper under the gums. Scaling helps remove plaque and tartar and smooth’s tooth root surfaces to prevent bacteria from sticking to them.

• Enhanced Oral Hygiene : a comprehensive dental cleaning helps clear gingivitis. However, you must maintain cleanliness with appropriate home care. In addition, you must learn how to correctly clean your teeth and get help from dentists with regular checkups to maintain oral hygiene optimally.

• Antibacterial Mouthwash : using an antibacterial mouthwash to rinse your mouth helps destroy disease-causing bacteria.

• Repairing Dental Work : your dentist will fix or remove fillings, crowns, or bridges sticking out or fitting incorrectly, making smoother surfaces easier to clean.

In addition, you can reduce your risk for gingivitis with appropriate dental hygiene by brushing your teeth twice daily after waking up and before going to bed. You must manage diabetes appropriately if you have it and avoid smoking or using other tobacco products. You must limit sugary drinks besides alcohol and some foods. Most importantly, you must see your dentist for six monthly cleanings to ensure you don’t have gingivitis or advanced periodontal disease. The condition progresses silently to make you need intensive treatments.

Gingivitis is a curable condition, unlike other stages of gum disease, as long as you receive early treatment. Unfortunately, untreated gingivitis worsens to turn into periodontitis which causes you to lose bone around your teeth and results in many oral health issues. Therefore if you have gingivitis or its signs and symptoms, you must receive treatment for the problem as soon as possible before it progresses into periodontitis.

If experiencing the symptoms of gingivitis like bleeding gums, swollen or red gums, et cetera, scheduling a visit to Hudson Family Dental helps reverse the condition and even cure it. However, if left untreated, the disease progresses silently to periodontitis, becoming a lifelong companion needing more frequent appointments with dentists for intensive treatments.