All About Gingivitis
Hey, I'm Dr. Perry from Farmington Family Dental. I get questions about gingivitis from my patients, and I wanted to answer some of these questions so you can know a little bit more about gingivitis.
How do I know if I have gingivitis?
Gingivitis, how do you know if you've got it? "Ginga" means gums, so it's the gums. It's the tissue that sits in and around the teeth. "Itis" means inflammation, which is what gingivitis is. When something is inflamed, it usually has a color change. You'll see it red. Typically, people will notice when they brush or floss their teeth that there's some amount of bleeding. If it's bleeding, it means you need to brush it more. It's usually plaque that causes gingivitis, although there are some other reasons.
You can tell you have gingivitis, most people, by just looking at your gums or your toothbrush when you're done brushing. Is it pink? Are you spitting out pink toothpaste when white went in? That's bleeding. That's caused by gingivitis or, in some cases, periodontal disease, which is the next level of gum disease.
What problems can gingivitis cause if not treated?
Gingivitis can cause some issues if it's not treated. Gingivitis left untreated can transform into periodontal disease, the next level of gum disease. The difference between gingivitis and periodontal disease is that gingivitis has no bone loss. The bone in and around the teeth is still intact. The body hasn't destroyed bone, trying to destroy the bacteria that are irritating it.
Once it moves over into periodontal disease, it's not something that you fix. It's something that you hold back, kind of like you put cancer in remission. You don't cure cancer, and you don't cure periodontal disease either. You put it in remission. That requires maintenance and attention above and beyond what gingivitis would require.
If you're noticing bleeding, take care of it quickly. Come see us. We'll give you some instructions or put the right tools in your hands so you can take care of and maintain your teeth without going down the route of losing bone.
What treatment options are available for gingivitis?
Good news on gingivitis. The treatment options are usually just a good dental cleaning. We'll usually give you some instructions to figure out what is causing the issue, like where there is a gap in oral hygiene, because usually, gingivitis is oral hygiene-driven. It's just not getting clean enough on your teeth or often enough, or it's not staying clean long enough. It's one of those three things in most cases.
Let me talk about some of the fringe cases. For other types of gingivitis, there's a gingivitis called pregnancy gingivitis. Just like there's pregnancy diabetes, the body is a lot more susceptible to inflammation when you're pregnant, and it can be a lot more irritable to almost the same extent.
Sometimes I'll see young women who are going through hormonal shifts and cycles, and their gums will become more inflamed around that time of the month. That can happen, too. That's not something you necessarily treat, but it's something you keep an eye on in most cases.
The last thing that can cause gingivitis is just the overgrowth of the gums. Certain medications are known for that. I think anti-seizure medications are the most common category I see that causes overgrowth of gums. Poor oral hygiene can do it, and it can spawn gingivitis as well. Depending on the cause of the gingivitis, the treatment will be administered, but typically, it's a good dental cleaning and some instructions.
How long does it take to treat gingivitis?
The time to treat it is 20 to 30 minutes on our side. Most of the work is on the patient's side, following up and maintaining proper oral care while taking care of their teeth at home.
We've answered some questions about gingivitis. If you've got that going on in your mouth, let's get it taken care of. We'd be happy to help. Our number at Farmington Family Dental is (573) 637-4404. If you give us a call, we'll get you scheduled for an appointment. You'll meet the doctor, and we'll get you scheduled to take care of your gingivitis and any other issues in your mouth. Taking care of it now is a great way to go, much better than letting it drag on.