How To Deal With Gingivitis

Is there a little bit of blood when brushing your teeth? This could be the first warning of gum disease, and should never be ignored. The mild variety is known as gingivitis. When you have this condition, the gums are infected. If this condition is not treated, the condition can worsen and start traveling below the gum line and reach the bone. When this happens, it becomes a more serious gum disease known as periodontitis.

 

It has been shown that gingivitis and periodontitis increase the risk of conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, and pneumonia. The best way to deal with this is early detection.

 

Treatment For Gingivitis

 

The main goal will be controlling the infection. The dentist is going to have a look and see the areas infected, then come up with a treatment plan.

 

Deep Cleaning For Gingivitis

This is the first step taken in treating gingivitis. Regular cleaning cleans only above the gum line, while deep cleaning will go under the gumline. Dentists have special instruments they use when deep cleaning the teeth.

 

The dentist can also do a procedure known as scaling. This is the process of scraping off tartar below and above the gum line. The dentist can also do root planning. This is where the rough surface of the roots is smoothed out. This is going to help the gums reattach to the tooth.

 

You might have to make more than one visit to your dentist when treating gingivitis.

 

Medication For Gingivitis

There is no magic pill that is going to treat gum disease, but there are some medications that can be used as part of the treatment. Some of them include;

 

  • Antibiotic microspheres or antiseptic chip: this is where tiny gels or particles are inserted into pockets in the gum, and slowly release medication with time to help in reducing the pockets and getting rid of bacteria.
  • Antibiotic gel: after deep cleaning, this is spread into the pockets to help in controlling the infection.
  • Enzyme suppressant: this is a tablet you take after deep cleaning. It helps in blocking enzymes from breaking down your gum tissue.
  • Oral antibiotics: these are capsules or tablets you swallow to deal with more serious infections

Surgery For Gingivitis

If a deep cleaning doesn’t help with the problem, then the next option is surgery. The two options are:

 

  1. Gum graft surgery: this is where tissue from another part of the mouth is taken then used in covering exposed roots to help in preventing decay or bone loss. It is also going to help with sensitive teeth.
  2. Flap Surgery: the dentist is going to lift the gums to reach tartar that is deep in the gum line. The gums are then stitched back tight to prevent any more forming of the tartar.

Call Dentistry On Broadway For Early Gum Disease Treatment

If you believe you have the early stages of gum disease then please contact Dentistry On Broadway for a free consultation and evaluation. Treating gum disease successfully is easier when you get started with that treatment in its early stage, which is gingivitis.