Gingivitis is a swelling of the gums that is indicative of gum disease, or periodontal disease. If left untreated, gingivitis can progress to advanced periodontal disease, which could cost you your teeth. Often, gingivitis is impossible to spot by anyone other than a trained professional dentist or periodontist. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms—bleeding or red gums, receding gums, or even sores—you should seek professional help.
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!
