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Gingivitis is a disease of the gums, the tissue that surrounds and holds the teeth. It is caused by plaque between our teeth. These cause bacteria that causes inflammation and bleeding of the gums. At the base of the teeth is plaque and tartar that form bags that inflame the gums. As the plaque has bacteria, it is normal for these bags to cause an infection.
Gingivitis is curable, often with deep cleaning in your dentist’s office and the consequent treatment based on home care and cleaning.
When this disease is prolonged it can become Periodontitis (also called Piorrea), a disease of much greater gravity since it affects the bone, and unlike the Gingivitis is irreversible, causing many problems as much aesthetic as of functionality of the denture.
This disease often causes loss of teeth in adults. Because it is a painless disease, it is not easily realized by the patient. Although it is a more common disease in people over 35 years, it can still occur at any age.
Since you can have the disease without having visible signs of it, it is suggested to go to the dentist frequently for an appropriate review. The dentist can detect violaceous gums, plaque bag formation and through an x-ray can also see a missing bone.
How It Manifests Itself
You may become unaware of the disease, but it usually manifests itself as a result of symptoms such as inflammation of the gums, touching gums, bleeding, chewing pain, bad breath, dental migration (bleeding of the teeth) and teeth loss.
Prevention
Good brushing of teeth and oral cleaning are one of the best preventions. To prevent dental plaque and tartar from building up at the base of the teeth, we must brush our teeth 3 times a day, performing a patient brushing and paying special attention to those hard-to-reach areas such as the lateral and back grinders, as well as the back of the teeth.
In addition, flossing is required in order to remove food leftovers from those small nooks where the brush does not reach.
Finally, visit the dentist twice a year for a thorough cleaning. There are some factors that help increase the risk of this disease, such as:
- Smoking
- Misaligned teeth (makes cleaning difficult)
- Drug and steroid intake
- Genetics
- Diabetes
Healthy food and a diet rich in calcium and low in sugar will help protect the teeth and gums.
Treatment
The treatment that will be given to a patient with Periodontitis will be more complex. In principle, they need a deep cleansing every 3 months, not 6. It is also possible that the dentist will decide to remove some teeth so that the disease will not spread to others.
Finally, the periodontal pockets will be removed first by scraping and regeneration of the lost bone will require surgery.
To finish, you can see everything on how the proper care of the teeth can prevent gingivitis. Brushing is no longer a matter of removing morning bad breath, but of keeping a smile intact over the years.
Use floss frequently to remove food leftovers, change your brush every 3 months (better bristles, better brushing), and take a prudent time for brushing: no harm is done by a violent brushing, do so gently allowing your brush to reach The most hidden areas.
Visit your dentist, there is no better professional to perform deep cleansing and quickly diagnose any problems your denture might present.
