Gum Illness-The Primary Stages
Posted by buliyfe22@yahoo.com | Filed under gingivitis, gum disease, oral health
The two primary stages of gum illness are gingivitis and periodontal disease. Generally periodontitis comes after gingivitis however not all gingivitis will work up to periodontitis.
Gingivitis commonly begins with gums bleeding easily and turning red and swollen in most cases when brushing. Bleeding isn’t always a symptom of gingivitis on the other hand it does indicate an unhealthy mouth that should get dealt with. At this level there has been no bone or tissue harm and the teeth are still securely embedded.
Left alone and untreated gingivitis may progress to periodontitis. This is when the gum starts to draw back from the teeth forming pockets. Debris can enter these modest spaces and become septic and the body struggling with these micro-organisms as the plaque spreads causes the bone and tissue retaining the teeth in location to break away.
When this happens there is no anchor holding the teeth and they become progressively looser resulting in tooth loss.
Periodontal disease can go unnoticed as it may not be painful even in the later stages but there are some early warning signs. These include gums that bleed when they are being brushed, bad breath, a bad taste in the mouth and loose or shifting teeth.
Gum disease might solely be around particular teeth and you do not have any signs or it could be at the rear of the mouth where you can’t see. Only a dental specialist can check the advancement of gum disease.
There is some good news however; in the majority of cases gum disease is preventable. In fact you can actually reverse the early stages and prevent gum disease by simply brushing and flossing and getting your teeth cleaned professionally twice a year.
Brushing your teeth is very important but it only removes plaque from the surfaces of the teeth that the brush can reach but flossing gets rid of plaque from under the gum line and in between the teeth.
There are motorized toothbrushes available with smaller heads which may be more effective at removing plaque than a standard toothbrush these types of toothbrushes are often recommended by dentists for this reason.
