Gingivitis: Early Warning of Gum Disease

Gingivitis is the earliest form of gum disease and the most easily treated. Many times it can be treated at home by simply increasing the depth of your oral hygiene routine.

However, because gingivitis tends to have very mild symptoms, it’s also common for it to go unnoticed. Leaving gingivitis to fester can lead to full blow periodontitis, which can cause a lot more problems.

Identifying Gingivitis in Houston

The absolute best way to identify gingivitis is the visit your Houston dentist and describe any symptoms you are experiencing. Using a keenly trained eye, they will inspect your teeth and gums and based on the symptoms you’re experiencing, can determine if gingivitis is at fault.

The most common symptoms to keep watch for are swollen gums, tender to the touch gums, bleeding from the gums, and discoloration of the gums.

You may only have one symptom, all four, or none at all. Most people associate gingivitis with bleeding of the gums, which is usually noticed when brushing their teeth.

It’s not uncommon for gingivitis symptoms to be so mild that your don’t notice them. The swelling can be easy to miss, any discoloration will likely just be a brighter red or a milky white color, and they may not feel tender.

Since the symptoms are so easy to miss, it’s important to see your Houston dentist twice per year. They will ask you about your oral health between visits, and based on your responses can look into the causes of things like gingivitis.

Gingivitis Treatment in Houston

After a diagnosis of gingivitis is made, your Houston dentist will perform a deep cleaning of your teeth. Using specialized tools like a water jet and dental probe, they will forcibly remove bacteria and plaque that have collected around your gums.

Once this thorough professional cleaning is completed, the dentist may prescribe a medicated mouthwash to use at home. It will help with killing lingering bacteria in difficult to reach areas.

You will also need to up your game on the oral hygiene front to keep your teeth clean and prevent bacteria from collecting and growing.

Gingivitis is pretty easy to treat and reverse the damage of. It can usually be accomplished with home care and especially effective after getting a professional cleaning from your Houston dentist.

The real trick is treating it early.

What Happens if You Don’t Catch Gingivitis Early?

Gum disease is a steadily progressing disease. If you don’t take care of it as soon as you discover it, it will continue to worse.

Gingivitis is just the first of three stages of gum disease. With mild symptoms, it’s easy to ignore or miss, but as it progresses, the damage it can do increases and the measures needed to stop it become more aggressive.

At the middle stage, periodontitis, the gums have become infected and can be painful. They are often noticeably swollen and can also be discolored, either a bright red or a purple color.

As it progresses further, it will cause infections deep in the gums, creating abscesses that can cause teeth to loosen and fall out. The gum line recedes exposing the teeth to further bacterial infection.

At its worst, gum disease can infect the jaw, which can also lead to tooth loss as well as a host of other problems.

The later stages of this disease require treatments that are uncomfortable but necessary to preserve your health. By taking steps to stop gum disease as soon as you notice it, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of pain and money.