If you have been told by your dentist that you have gingivitis, you will want to start now in taking the best care of your teeth possible so that you can warn off periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is the proper term for gum disease. The first step in contracting gum disease is gingivitis. Here is some information about gingivitis and the steps that you can take to reverse it before it becomes periodontal disease.
What Happens When You Have Gingivitis?
Gingivitis is a condition that is usually caused by poor oral hygiene. When you brush and floss your teeth, you remove tartar and plaque from the surfaces. Tartar and plaque buildup is caused by bacteria. When these materials are in excess, they will start to affect your gums. The gums will become irritated and will pull away from your teeth, causing the plaque and tartar to slip up underneath the surface. When this occurs, you have gingivitis.
What Are The Symptoms Of Gingivitis?
When you have a full-blown case of gingivitis, you will have red, irritated gums. They may bleed when you brush or floss.
What Happens After That?
A dentist can scrape tartar and plaque buildup from underneath your gums to try to save you from contracting periodontal disease. If you do not have a removal process done, the bone and tissue underneath the gum area will begin to deteriorate. This will in turn cause your teeth not been held into place sturdily, causing them to fall out.
Can Gum Disease Be Remedied?
If you have periodontal disease, there are a few ways to try to save your teeth. You can have a scaling procedure done. A periodontist would use a utensil to scrape the tartar from the teeth beneath your gums. This is more involved than a scraping that you would have if you had gingivitis, as the tartar is embedded deeper and is caked on in excess amounts.
Another way to try to save your teeth would be to have a root plane procedure. This is when the periodontist scrapes the roots of the teeth to aid in the loss of bone loss. A bone and tissue graft could be done to help build up the surface of the bone area, minimizing the chance of tooth loss.
A gum flap is another procedure that you could try. The gums would be surgically cut so the periodontist could scrape the surface of the teeth below them. Then they would be stitched back up. Visit businesses like Park View Pediatric Dentistry for more information.
