Gingivitis Gum Disease – An Early Warning

06 / 03 / 2018

Gingivitis Gum Disease – An Early Warning

How Gingivitis Occurs And How You Can Restore Your Gum Health

Gum disease usually advances in two stages; gingivitis and periodontitis. Of these, periodontitis is by far the most serious and can lead to issues such as loose teeth or even tooth loss.

Fortunately, this stage is preceded by gingivitis which is less serious, though it should certainly not be ignored.

At the Lighthouse Dental Practice in Ipswich, our dentists routinely check for gum disease during your regular checkups and will advise if any problems are detected.

Should you panic?

If you are told that you have gingivitis, you should acknowledge that you need to take action. There is no need for alarm though. Most of us will have gingivitis at some point in our life, often without even being aware of it. For example, if you have had the flu, which has been quite prevalent this winter, the chances are that your diet suffered and that you probably didn’t clean your teeth as well as normal. In addition, your immune system would be fighting the flu, leaving other areas of your body more exposed.

At times like this, gingivitis is quite likely, however, on resuming your usual lifestyle and cleaning routine, the gingivitis may well have cleared up, leaving you completely unaware of it.

Treatment

Below we take a look at the initial steps to manage and treat gingivitis. Sometimes, if the gingivitis is quite minor, all it might take is an improvement in the way that you clean your teeth to clear it up. Better brushing, including around and under the gum line is essential, and the addition of flossing too is extremely important. On their own, these will certainly help in the fight against gum infections.

Whether your gingivitis is in its early stages or has become more advanced though, we thoroughly recommend that you also see our dental hygienist. This is a great way to help keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy. They will discuss any ways that you can improve your cleaning, including how to floss correctly. They will also perform a ‘scale and polish’ which removes the hardened bacteria (tartar) from the teeth and gum line. This is a completely painless procedure that will not only leave your mouth clean but also feeling fresher and healthier too.

Some surface staining may also be removed during this process and your teeth may also appear a little whiter following the clean.

Ignoring gingivitis

Our advice is simple; don’t. Whilst some people may be happy to live with the symptoms of gingivitis, they really shouldn’t be. Not only can some of these be fairly unpleasant in themselves, but they will likely eventually advance to periodontitis. This is much harder to treat and certainly more uncomfortable. In addition, a successful outcome is not guaranteed and your teeth may be at risk.

Make sure that you have healthy gums by making an appointment with the hygienist at our Ipswich clinic by calling the Lighthouse Dental Practice on 01473 257379.

We are here to help you.
If you would like to speak to a member of our friendly team about any of the issues in this article please visit our contact page or call us on 01473 257379.