Understanding and Treating Gingivitis in Houston

At first glance, gingivitis seems like no big deal. Many times, people don’t even notice any symptoms of it.

Gingivitis is actually the first stage of gum disease and should be a warning sign for anyone who detects it.

When you brush your teeth, do you ever notice any blood during your rinse? Do your gums feel puffy? Is there a lot of plaque along the gum line in your mouth?

These are all signs of gingivitis, and your body is trying to get you to pay attention to them.

Understanding Gingivitis

In and of itself, gingivitis really isn’t a big deal. In fact, many patients can clear it up themselves with some thorough home care.

It starts out because of bacteria around the gum line collecting and eventually getting under the gums. Once under there, they feed on the soft tissue and produce a waste product we know as plaque, the fuzzy material that can coat your teeth when you don’t brush often.

If the plaque is not regularly cleared away, it can harden to form tartar, also known as calculus.

Once it hardens, it protects the bacteria from being easily swept away by brushing and flossing. The bacteria under the gums can thrive and flourish.

As it grows in its little colony, the soft tissue of the gums becomes irritated and inflamed, leading to the puffy appearance of gums and sometimes a small amount of bleeding.

Treating Gingivitis

Sometimes you can treat gingivitis at home by simply increasing your personal hygiene at home. Increased regular brushing, longer brushing sessions, flossing, and rinsing will help a lot with reversing the damage caused by gingivitis.

Other times, it may not be apparent that you have symptoms or it may be deep enough that home care won’t be able to stop it.

In this case, a visit to your Houston dentist is in order. Your dentist will perform a visual examination and based on any symptoms you describe to them, they can determine if it is indeed gingivitis.

To treat the gingivitis, your dentist will perform a dental cleaning. Professional cleanings are far more effective than brushing, flossing, and rinsing at home, as a dentist knows where to look for trouble spots and how best to tackle them.

Once the cleaning is done, your dentist may prescribe a medicated mouthwash to use at home.

This special mouthwash will not only be able to get into all the nooks and crannies of your mouth, it will also more effectively kill any harmful bacteria still around.

What Happens When the Gingivitis Seems to have no Cause?

There are certain situations where gingivitis may crop up when a person is very good about their hygiene.

The gums and teeth can be indicators of the overall health of a person. In fact, an examination of the teeth can potentially detect the presence of diabetes well before an official diagnosis would detect it.

Alternatively, gingivitis can occur because of a poorly fitting dental bridge, crown, or implant.

In these cases, the implant may need to be adjusted by the dentist, or a new one will need to be constructed.

Regardless of the reason for gingivitis making an appearance, you should always pay attention to it and have a dentist examine it to rule out any nastier situations.