Gingivitis Treatment in Houston: Professional or Home Care?

Nearly every American will experience gingivitis at some point in their life. Most of the time it is when they are seniors and their gum line has receded some, but some may experience it sooner.

Gingivitis is caused by bacteria irritating the soft tissue under your gums.

The bacteria can gather under the gum line if you’re not diligent enough about brushing and flossing your teeth.

Bacterial waste matter, known as plaque, is left behind by the bacteria and it can be used as a type of defense, keeping the bacteria in place despite the probing of toothpicks and toothbrushes.

If this plaque is left untouched for a couple of days, it hardens to form tartar, which can be more difficult to get rid of than plaque.

Identifying Gingivitis

Gingivitis’ most common and easily visible characteristic is causing the gums to bleed. They may not ooze blood, but rather you may notice a redness in your saliva when brushing your teeth.

This is often the first sign that people notice, but it is not always the only one present.

Another symptom of gingivitis is swollen or puffy gums. The bacteria is causing the soft tissue of your gums to become inflamed, which makes them swell.

Additionally, some people may notice a tenderness of the gums. This is less common in the gingivitis stage of gum disease, but more common in later stages.

The symptoms of gingivitis are often so mild that many people don’t notice them or pay any mind to them until they either resolve on their own or they advance to periodontal disease.

The only way to officially diagnose gingivitis is with a visit to your Memorial Galleria area dentist in Houston. They will perform a visual examination and based on the symptoms you describe, can determine if it is indeed gingivitis.

Gingivitis Treatment in Houston

When you visit the dentist, they will conduct a good cleaning of your teeth, particularly focusing on the gum line, as this is where much of the bacteria is collected.

They may prescribe a medicated mouthwash in notably bad cases, but most often you will be able to treat gingivitis at home with proper, regular dental hygiene practices.

The dentist will show you the best way to brush and floss your teeth to effectively remove plaque and bacteria that causes gingivitis.

Following this regimented course of brushing, flossing, and rinsing, you can clear away the bacteria and reverse the damage caused by gingivitis. Maintaining the regimen afterward will prevent gingivitis from striking again in the future.

While it is definitely possible to treat gingivitis on your own at home, it’s not recommended that you do so.

A professional evaluation from a dentist can, with knowledge of your medical history, determine a possible alternative source of the disease.

Gum disease can stem from certain other ailments like diabetes as well as some medications. Your dentist should know what health conditions you have and medicines you take to make an accurate diagnosis.

In some cases, a dentist may actually be able to detect an underlying disease before a doctor has officially diagnosed it.

The reason for having a dentist diagnose the symptoms and cause of gingivitis is to treat the root cause.

Improving your home oral hygiene routine is not going to improve your gingivitis situation if it is being caused by another disease.

This is why it is especially important to follow up with your dentist for scheduled appointments and regular checkups every six months.

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.

Gingivitis: First Sign of Gum Disease, or Something Worse?

Gum disease often goes unnoticed because people don’t always know what to look for. The sight of bleeding gums may make them think they were brushing too hard. Tender gums might be attributed to an allergic reaction.

In reality, these could be the earliest signs of gum disease: gingivitis.

Gingivitis can be pretty easily cured, but it needs to be addressed right away. Leaving it alone and not fixing the problem can exacerbate it, leading to full on gum disease or advanced gum disease.

While gingivitis is usually never more than a nuisance, catching it early on can save a lot of grief later.

Identifying Gingivitis

Gingivitis is often associated with bleeding gums, usually while brushing the teeth.

The bleeding is due to bacteria damaging and destroying the soft gum tissue in your mouth.

The sight of plaque around the gum line is also a common giveaway that gingivitis is present. This is actually the entry point for bacteria causing problems with your gums. The plaque around the gum line is waste left behind by bacteria.

If this plaque is not cleared regularly, it can harden, usually within 3 to 4 days, to form tartar. Tartar is much more difficult to get rid of without a professional cleaning from a Houston dentist, and it provides a safer haven for bacteria.

Other symptoms to look for include swollen gums, receding gum line, gums changing color, and persistent bad breath.

All of these are indicators of gingivitis taking hold, and you should visit your Houston dentist as soon as the symptoms appear to get them treated right away.

Diagnosing Gingivitis

Your Houston dentist will perform a visual examination of your teeth and gums and ask you about what symptoms you’ve been experiencing.

Based on your symptoms and the examination, the dentist can diagnose the condition as being gingivitis.

Getting this examination performed soon after discovering the signs of gingivitis can save you some major headaches (or toothaches) in the near future.

If left unattended, gingivitis can become periodontal disease, and that brings with it greater challenges for treating.

Gingivitis Treatments in Houston

In most cases, you can reverse the effects of gingivitis on your home with proper oral hygiene.

This means you need to practice regular brushing of your teeth, flossing, and rinsing.

While you can potentially reverse the effect of gingivitis at home, it’s still best to visit a Houston dentist so they can check out your teeth and gums.

If it is confirmed that you have gingivitis, they may recommend home treatment or possibly prescribe an antibiotic or medicated mouthwash to help combat the bacteria.

If no obvious signs of the gingivitis are detected during the physical examination, your local Houston dentist may recommend a complete medical evaluation.

Gum disease can be a precursor or a sign of other medical conditions, such as diabetes. A full medical evaluation will screen for these more severe diseases and provide a basis of treatment for them and the gum disease all at once.

This is another major reason to get checked out at the first signs of gingivitis. Whether it’s just the first sign of gum disease or a sign of something far worse, it’s always best to get checked out by medical professionals at your local Houston dental office.