The short answer is no. While both are technically gum disease, gingivitis is a bit different than full-blown periodontal disease. What are the differences between gum disease and gingivitis? Let’s review their similarities and differences, as well as why you shouldn’t ignore either of them!

Gingivitis: The First Stage of Gum Disease

Gingivitis literally means gum inflammation. During this earliest stage of gum disease, your gum tissue becomes inflamed by bacteria that aren’t being removed during your oral care process.

While poor oral hygiene is the most common cause of gingivitis, you may be more likely to develop gum inflammation if you smoke or chew tobacco, have a family history of gum disease, or are currently pregnant. Fluctuating hormone levels in the body can make gingivitis more likely, making women who are pregnant or on oral contraception more at risk to develop the condition [1].

Symptoms of gingivitis may not be noticeable at first, but your gums may appear puffy, red, or they may bleed during brushing. Symptoms will be more severe as gingivitis progresses to periodontal disease.

Gum Disease: Advancing Inflammation and Infection

Without treatment, gingivitis will eventually progress to gum disease. Full-blown gum disease is generally more difficult to treat than gingivitis. For many patients, gingivitis can be reversed with a deep cleaning from your dentist and improved home care habits. However, in cases of gum disease, more intensive or repeated therapies may be necessary.

Once gum disease develops, your gums can begin to pull back from your teeth in what’s known as gum recession. Your teeth may become sensitive as your tooth roots may become exposed, and bacteria can get underneath the gum tissue and cause infection.

This infection can destroy the connective tissue that helps anchor your teeth and can even impact the surrounding bone. Eventually, your teeth may begin to feel loose or feel as though they are shifting [2]. If left to progress, gum disease can eventually lead to tooth loss.

What Can You Do?

Both gingivitis and gum disease can be prevented with the right care, which includes:

• Brushing and flossing every day. Brushing twice daily and flossing once a day go a long way towards keeping gum disease from getting started!
• Visiting your dentist. Your dentist can not only look for signs of gum disease, but thoroughly clean your teeth during your visit to help prevent gingivitis.
• Not using tobacco. Avoiding smoking and chewing tobacco can help keep your smile free of gum inflammation and bacteria that cause periodontal disease.
• Eating a healthy diet. A balanced diet with lots of whole foods and minimal added sugars can help support a healthy smile!

Gum disease and gingivitis are also both treatable, so if you’re experiencing any symptoms, don’t hesitate to seek professional attention from your dentist to help remedy the problem!

Don’t Ignore the Signs of Gum Disease!

Both periodontal disease and gingivitis should be taken seriously and treated as soon as possible to avoid long-term consequences for your smile. Regular cleanings and checkups with your dentist can help you avoid gum disease for a strong and beautiful smile for life!

Sources:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2886879/
2. https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/gum-disease/more-info#symptoms

The post Gum Disease vs. Gingivitis: What’s the Difference? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

These signs and symptoms could include a bad taste in the mouth, bad breath that won’t go away even after brushing or using mouthwash, and inflamed gum tissue. Some people may even notice bleeding when they brush or experience shifting teeth.

But what exactly causes someone to get a gum infection? Here’s how gum infections happen and how they’re treated.

Common Causes of Gum Infection

There are several things that could lead to a gum infection, but one of the most common is periodontal (gum) disease [1].

Periodontal disease is typically the result of poor oral hygiene and genetics. Plaque and bacteria build up on the teeth and can work their way below the gumline. When this happens, the connective tissue that help hold your teeth in place are damaged and can cause pockets of infection [2].

Periodontal disease can progress slowly or rapidly depending on the person and the cause. For many people, they won’t experience symptoms until the condition has advanced.

People who use tobacco are more at risk to experience a gum infection as are people who have a compromised immune system, such as people who are receiving immunotherapy drugs such as chemotherapy.

How a Gum Infection Is Treated

Prompt treatment can help reverse your gum disease and prevent it from progressing to the point that you’re at risk for tooth loss. You should ideally contact your dentist as soon as you suspect an infection might be present.

Your dentist will want to conduct a deep cleaning of your teeth—this is often referred to as a root planing and scaling in dentistry—which will help to remove the infection underneath your gums.

Taking care of your teeth and gums at home is going to be vital to healing your gum infection. You may need to adopt healthier eating habits, quit smoking, and, of course, brush and floss daily. In addition, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics to help the infection go away or administer an antibiotic treatment at the office.

If your gum disease doesn’t respond to treatment or has progressed past the point that a good cleaning and antibiotics will help, you may need surgery or gum tissue grafts to help heal your smile.

For dentists that use laser technology, you may be able to receive laser therapy in conjunction with the above treatments for a more comprehensive approach to treating the infection [3].

Keep Your Gums Healthy!

Gums are vital to the health of our teeth and need to be kept healthy. Gums keep our teeth secure in our jaw and support proper oral health.

By regularly visiting your dentist in combination with regular oral health habits, you can prevent gum infections from happening in the first place. Schedule an appointment with your local dentist if you suspect a gum infection is compromising your oral health!

Sources:
1. https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/periodontal_disease/index.htm
2. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/g/gum-disease
3. https://www.perio.org/consumer/gum-disease-laser-therapy

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When this happens, your teeth are absorbing a huge amount of pressure. Experts speculate
that the amount of pressure exerted by the jaw during teeth grinding is up to ten times that
which is normally exerted while chewing. As a result, this can wear down your tooth enamel.
Once tooth enamel is gone, it can’t be replaced, leading to sensitive teeth, cavities, and even
tooth discoloration.

Can Fracture or Chip Teeth

Teeth that are being ground against each other have an increased risk of being fractured or
chipped. This is especially true if they are repeatedly exposed to grinding, which can create tiny
fractures in the teeth that can eventually lead to chips and breaks.

A chipped or fractured tooth will need to be evaluated by your dentist as soon as possible, as it
can expose tooth roots and may lead to the need for root canal therapy if an infection ensues.
This will also require dental bonding or another form of treatment to restore your smile. Your
dentist will be able to tell if you grind your teeth and help you seek treatment!

Damages Gum Tissue

Although it might seem like teeth grinding wouldn’t impact your gums, the opposite is true.
Over time, the pressure of grinding your teeth can irritate your gum tissue and cause
inflammation. Your gums may even become irritated to the point that the ligaments that help
hold your teeth into place become threatened.

When gum tissue is damaged in this way, it can cause loose teeth and pockets of infection near
the gumline, therefore mimicking symptoms of gum disease. It’s essential to see your dentist to
uncover the root cause and understand why your teeth and gums are being affected so. Some
people grind their teeth while sleeping and are unaware of it!

Teeth grinding is a terrible habit that can affect your smile for life. Your dentist can not only tell
if you grind your teeth, but help you seek treatment for this condition. From wearing down
your tooth enamel to breaking your teeth to damaging gum tissue, bruxism should not be taken
lightly. Schedule an appointment with your dentist today if you suspect you grind your teeth!

The post How Does Teeth Grinding Impact Your Oral Health? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

When your body has an infection, it tries to fight it off by raising your white blood cell count to stop the invading bacteria. Bacteria that cause an infection rarely go away on their own. Typically, an infection will get worse without medical intervention.

The same is true for infections in your mouth. Infected gums or teeth can and will continue to get worse without help. Unless the infection is properly treated, you could be putting your smile in harm’s way by ignoring the infection.

Here’s why you should never wait to treat a gum or tooth infection.

Infections Will Worsen

As we just discussed, infections don’t get better on their own. In order for this to happen, the bacteria that are causing the infection need to be removed.

For example, with a gum infection, pockets of pus often begin to form around the gumline in-between the gums and your teeth. Unless this area is properly cleaned and the infection is entirely removed, it will continue to get worse. Only a professional dentist can properly clean the area and prevent the infection from coming back.

With a tooth infection, the problem could lie below the gumline. Typically, this happens when a cavity has gotten so large that the decay is now present in your tooth’s root. This allows the pulp of your tooth to become infected, which can be very painful. When this happens, you’ll need a root canal to remove the decaying pulp and save your tooth. Otherwise, the infection will continue to get worse and could even move into your gums and cause a tooth abscess.

Bacteria Can Spread to the Bloodstream

Tooth and gum infections are not something that you want to wait to treat. By the time you notice symptoms of infection, it’s likely that the infection has already gotten worse. Infections such as these can actually enter the bloodstream if they’re left to progress.

Once bacteria enter the bloodstream, it makes its way to the heart. Here, the bacteria can cause adverse health symptoms and even death. People who let tooth infections go have ended up in the hospital because the infection has entered their bloodstream. Getting treatment as soon as possible can prevent this from happening!

What Can Be Done?

If you suspect that you have a tooth or gum infection, schedule an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible. A gum infection could be indicative of gum disease and will need treatment to heal. A tooth infection will eventually become very painful and could even cause the need for your tooth to be extracted.

The good news is that seeking help sooner rather than later can save your smile. These infections do not go away on their own and need the care of a professional dentist to get better. Often, the treatment is painless and your smile can be saved.

Never assume that an infection will go away. Symptoms of a tooth or gum infection include pain or swelling, a bad taste in your mouth, constant bad breath, redness, or bleeding. A simple dentist visit can tell you if you have an infection that needs treatment. Don’t wait to seek help—save your smile by getting a checkup today!

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