Gingivitis

Gingivitis is the beginning stage of gum disease. Gingivitis involves inflammation of the gums, but it might not be too severe. It could involve some redness, tenderness, or bleeding. Generally, the symptoms are minor so you may not even notice anything unusual, especially if you aren’t keeping up with your oral health. Gingivitis happens when plaque builds up on the teeth due to lack of oral care.

Gingivitis can be reversed with proper brushing and flossing, although it would help to get a good cleaning from your dentist to ensure plaque is gone. Your dentist can also advise you on proper brushing and flossing techniques to help reverse your gingivitis.

Mild to Moderate Periodontal Disease

If steps are not taken to reverse gingivitis, it can progress to periodontal disease, which is another name for gum disease. At first, you’ll likely have a mild to moderate case of periodontal disease. What this means is that your symptoms worsen: the redness, swelling, and bleeding. You may also notice you have chronic bad breath. The once mild infection begins to worsen and spread, further affecting your gums and consequently, your teeth.

At this point, you will most certainly need to visit your dentist for a deep cleaning. Your dentist will likely need to scrape the plaque off (called scaling), clean underneath your gums, and even your roots out (planing). Your dentist will thoroughly clean your teeth and their surfaces, your roots, and your gums. This will remove any bacteria and help to reverse your periodontal disease.

Advanced Periodontal Disease

It’s vital to remember that although your dentist can clean your teeth and remove the infection-causing bacteria, you will ultimately be the one responsible for the health of your teeth and gums. You may need to change your diet, clean your teeth more often, or increase your intake of calcium and vitamin D in addition to other nutrients. If you don’t do your part in helping to reverse your gum disease, it can return and even move to advanced periodontal disease.

The bacteria in advanced periodontal disease continue to attack your gums and teeth, leading to more damage. Bone loss as well as tooth loss can occur. You may have “oozing” gums from the infection. You will likely develop tooth sensitivity, which could be extreme, and even painful chewing in addition to all the other symptoms you already have. In addition, the harmful bacteria also enter your blood, which could result in a variety of other dangerous health problems. In order to try and reverse this, you will need surgery to clean the bacteria and careful treatment from your dentist.

Gum disease can be reversed, but it’s vital that you seek treatment as soon as possible. The earlier your gum disease is addressed, the more successful your treatment will be. If you’re experiencing red, swollen, or bleeding gums, schedule a visit with your dentist!

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Is it Loose?

When your child’s tooth begins to get loose, there are a couple of things happening in the mouth here—the first is that the adult teeth have actually started to grow, so the roots of the baby teeth get reabsorbed into the mouth. The second thing that’s happening is that since the tooth now no longer really has “roots”, it is usually only still there by a small amount of tissue. This is usually when the tooth becomes very loose and will fall out. If your child’s tooth feels extremely loose, it’s ok to pull it. Make sure that your hands are dry and try to dry the area around your child’s tooth as best as you can. Many people prefer to use a tissue or a soft cloth to grab hold of the tooth which will help keeping the area dry. A twisting motion is best when pulling that tooth out, and don’t worry about hurting your child—since there’s no roots left, there’s usually little to no pain when pulling out very loose baby teeth.

Give it Time

When it comes to deciding whether or not to pull your child’s baby tooth out, it’s always best to give it time. Your child’s adult teeth will begin to grow, loosen the baby teeth, and fall out on their own normally. If you feel your child’s baby tooth and it feels pretty rooted in there, this is not the time to begin pulling and you may hurt your child as the roots may still be connected, meaning the tooth is just not ready to come out yet. As the tooth becomes looser, you can encourage your child to work the tooth back and forth or push it with their tongue. Many children love doing this and find it exciting. With your child’s help and the body’s natural growth, it’s likely that the tooth will come out in no time. It’s only ok to pull when the tooth feels very loose— remember, teeth that feel solid in the mouth should not be yanked or twisted. Give your child’s baby teeth the time they need to come out on their own.

Your child is growing and changing constantly throughout the years they lose their baby teeth. While pulling baby teeth may be necessary at points (such as if the tooth is extremely loose and there is a risk for your child accidentally swallowing it while eating), you should encourage your child to help loosen the tooth and let it come out on its own. Have fun!

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