How Do I Kill Gum Disease?

Gum Disease

Gum disease is the most common disease in the world and takes two forms which are gingivitis and periodontitis.

Gingivitis

Gingivitis can be defined as the inflammation of the gums or Gingiva. Treating Gingivitis is fairly easy to treat and it can be totally reversed by a simple treatment method from a dentist such as oral hygiene instruction and scaling. If untreated, however, it can progress to become Periodontitis which we’ll talk about later on.

There are 2 main types of Gingival disease that we should be aware of. Dental Plaque-Induced Gingival Disease and Non-Plaque Induced Gingival Disease.

Dental Plaque-Induced Gingival Disease

Dental Plaque-Induced Gingival Disease is caused by multiple reasons. One of the common reasons is due to the build of plaque which is a soft, sticky substance which builds upon the teeth containing bacteria. It is a common reason as to why people get tooth decay or gum disease if they don’t brush and floss their teeth properly or regularly.

Another reason is due to symptoms of the medication. Some medications can cause your body or in this case your gum to react differently. This is unlikely but it is still a factor contributing to Dental plaque-induced Gingival Disease.

Lastly, we have systemic factors. This, in other words, is where your teeth become crowded or malpositioned. Teeth that are not in the correct position and are left untreated can cause health problems, one of which are Dental diseases. Other health issues that can occur are:

• Gum recession
• Sensitive teething
• Poor chewing function
• A misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth which could lead to Temporomandibular Disorders (TMJ)

This is one of the reasons as to why oral care is important. If not, you can go from healthy gums and teeth to going into the early stages of gum disease in no time which is why it is important to brush your teeth.

Non-plaque induced gingival lesions:

If the above was bad then it can only get worse really. This disease is not specifically caused by anything but can be argued due to specific bacterium, viruses, or fungus. This type of disease can, however, be due to genetic factors such as if anyone has any allergies or illnesses which you could have inherited.

Other reasons can be due to wounds or reactions to dentures. What you can take from this is that this disease varies quite a bit.

The Cause and The Treatment

What we can take a look at from the 2 types or categories of the disease is that it can be caused commonly due to the accumulation (build-up) of plaque around the teeth causing a reaction to take place or it can be due to other reasons mentioned above.

This reaction from the build-up of plaque can cause the initial gingival disease and other issues such as tooth bleeding of the gums, tooth loss or the loss of gum tissue. It can be advised to have professional cleaning of the teeth from time to time if possible to prevent this from happening.

Now let’s talk about the other form of Gum disease.

Periodontitis

Periodontitis, however, is the more severe form of the disease and depends on you as a patient maintaining your oral hygiene meticulously but also getting the right kind of dental treatment. The dental treatment often required is called Deep Scaling or Root Surface Debridement.

The Symptoms of Periodontitis

Periodontitis occurs when the gum comes away from the tooth creating pockets of infection. These pockets can then collect plaque which can cause damage to the gum line or other symptoms such as:

• Swollen up gums
• Bright red irritated gums
• Gums that bleed easily when brushing, flossing or even when touched
• Bad breath
• Loose teeth or potentially losing teeth
• Painful chewing
• A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
• Spaces develop between your teeth or your gum recedes away making your teeth looking longer

Just from these small pockets that were created from the receding gum causes a lot of symptoms. Research shows that once you have a more advanced form of the gum disease called Advanced Periodontitis, the disease cannot be cured but only stopped from reoccurring often through root planing or through intensive oral hygiene measures and dental treatment on a regular basis.

Those who smoke, have diabetes or take drugs often are said that it is more difficult to treat gum disease and it is because of certain conditions or habits that they have. So taking all the symptoms into account, we should identify the causes.

The Causes of Periodontitis

In most cases, as said before, it starts off with the build-up of plaque. Plaque forms due to the constant bacteria our mouth forms and produces. It is natural and these bacteria are formed due to the ingredients found in our diet and the saliva which breaks down to form what we know of called Plaque.

If plaque appears to stay on or within the pockets of your teeth for too long, the plaque can harden and turn into what is called Tartar or calculus. When that happens, it is much harder to remove it as it is filled and hardened with bacteria.

What this means is that the longer plaque remains on and around your teeth, the more damage it can cause and it can’t be ridden of that easily by simply just brushing and flossing. Eventually, it would cause your gum to inflame causing periodontitis. At this stage, you would need to get it removed with professional treatment and maintain a good home oral care.

As said before from the symptoms, not maintaining good oral hygiene can contribute to you potentially losing your teeth or having a misalignment that is noticeable and can cause pain every time you want to chew on some food and snacks. So the question is, what can you do to prevent this?

Killing and Preventing Gum Disease

What you can take from all of this is to take good oral hygiene from today. No more excuses.

What this means is that you should brush your teeth for 2 minutes at least twice a day and the optimal time for this is when you wake up or after your breakfast and before you go to bed. If you can try to floss once every day.

Flossing helps clean away the loosened food particles or the bacteria into the little pockets around your teeth and prevents the build-up of gum disease.

In addition to this, you should make regular visits to the dentist for regular cleanings once every 6 to 12 months. This is to make sure you get the professional cleaning and treatment you deserve to reduce the chance of developing Periodontitis or Gingivitis. If you take medicines more often or if you smoke, it would be better to make appointments with the dentists more to be on the safe side.