Why do you need professional treatment for gingivitis?

To Remove Tartar

Plaque forms on our teeth daily, especially when our diets consist of a lot of processed foods or sugars. Plaque is easily removed with gentle brushing and a proper toothbrush. However, when you forgo brushing, have a poor diet, or have a surplus of bad bacteria in your mouth, you could be putting yourself at risk to have an increased amount of plaque, which can turn into tartar.

Tartar is a hard deposit that can only be removed by a professional oral health care specialist, such as a dentist or periodontist. They carefully scrape and remove the tartar, which can help your teeth and gums to heal and reverse the gum disease. Once tartar forms from plaque, it cannot be removed with any home care techniques.

How Advanced Is Your Gum Disease?

Your gum disease may not seem so bad, especially if you only see a little blood when brushing or experience mild tenderness of the gums. However, gum disease can be much more advanced than you think. Often patients won’t even know they have gingivitis until they visit their dentist. By the time you’re experiencing symptoms, your gum disease may be more advanced than you think it is. A dentist or periodontist can determine how advanced your gum disease is and may even be able to reverse it. Gum disease is reversible at certain stages, which makes it even more important to visit your dentist for checkups and seek professional treatment for your gum disease before it’s too late.

Infections Can Happen

Trying to treat gum disease at home isn’t only unsuccessful, but can be dangerous as well. Patients can develop infections due to the plaque and tartar on their teeth that are causing their gums to swell and bleed. These infections could be life-threatening if they enter the bloodstream, or the infection could turn into an abscess of the tooth.

Tooth abscesses caused by periodontal disease can even happen in the bone that supports your teeth in your jaw in extreme cases. Tooth abscesses tend to be painful and can lead to drainage of the infection that can end up in your mouth or sinuses. If not treated, a cyst can form in the bone which can cause the need for tooth extraction to drain the abscess and properly treat the infection.

It’s important to never ignore what your body is trying to tell you. When symptoms are present,schedule a visit with your dentist or periodontist. Don’t have dental insurance? Many offices offer financing through a third party, which is often available at 0% interest. You need professional treatment for your gingivitis!

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Alcohol Irritates Mouth Tissues

The soft tissues in your mouth can become inflamed when exposed to alcohol repeatedly. Irritating your gum tissues can lead to inflammation, which over time can damage the roots of your teeth. The
components of alcohol (mainly acidic components and sugar) can also be very eroding to the enamel of your teeth, meaning you’re even more at risk for sensitive or painful teeth over time. In addition, alcohol dehydrates you, and these dehydrating effects take a big toll on your mouth. Our saliva protects our teeth and helps keep our oral bacteria balanced, but when drinking alcohol, the mouth becomes dry and is therefore a breeding ground for bad bacteria and plaque. If you are going to drink alcohol in moderate amounts, be sure to stay hydrated while doing so. Alcoholic drinks do not count towards your hydration fluids.

Poor Oral Health

People who drink alcohol excessively tend to neglect their oral health by not brushing and flossing
regularly in addition to not getting dental check-ups. This combination of practices can lead to buildup of plaque and bacteria over time from the dry mouth that alcohol creates as well as symptoms of tooth decay and gum disease. Frequent drinkers tend to not notice or ignore any symptoms they’re experiencing when it comes to their oral health, such as gums that are red and inflamed, bleeding, sensitive, or pulling back from their teeth. It’s important to get regular check-ups at your dentist so that your dentist can help you treat any symptoms you have before they get worse. Alcohol can be very harsh on the gums and can eventually lead to tooth loss because of gum disease, tooth decay, or cavities.

A Maintenance Routine Is Important

If your drinking habits are causing you to forget to brush once in while, this is not a big deal. If, however, this is happening regularly or several times a week, you’re giving bacteria and plaque time to build up on your teeth. Many people enjoy mixed drinks, which can be very high in sugar and damaging to the teeth. The combination of the sugar and alcohol can irritate your gums, damage your tooth enamel, and if left with enough time in an ideal environment such as a dry mouth, can wreak havoc on your teeth.

Nearly everyone has different ideas about what they consider abuse of alcohol to be. When it comes to your oral health, drinking alcohol can be considered abusive when it interferes with your oral health through gum disease or other problems with your mouth. Keep to a routine and remember to brush, floss, and visit your dentist regularly—your teeth depend on it.

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