Hello my name is Dr. Koilpillai. Here in our practice, we get a lot of questions about gingivitis. Today I'm going to answer some of the most common questions on this topic to give you a better understanding of gingivitis.
What is gingivitis?
Gingivitis is basically when the gums get swollen and puffy in response to something irritating them. In most cases, it's either plaque or tartar. Sometimes there's some infection there that's also causing irritation. So that's what gingivitis is.
What causes gingivitis?
Gingivitis is caused by a number of things that including plaque, tartar, and food. It can also be caused by some medications and some conditions the person may be suffering with.
What does gingivitis look like?
You may wonder what gingivitis looks like. Maybe you thought you have gingivitis. If you take a look in the mirror and you see some bleeding gums, swelling of the gums, that could indicate there's some gingivitis. And here in this picture, there's an example of someone with gingivitis. This area, magnified, looks like this. Puffy, swollen gums, kind of red around the edges.
What can a dentist do to treat gingivitis?
You may wonder what a dentist can do to treat gingivitis. When you come into our office, what we usually do is for someone with no gum disease and possibly just gingivitis, we may do a cleaning, a thorough cleaning of their teeth. We may sometimes prescribe some mouthwashes that are prescription strength to help reduce the inflammation of the gums. For people with some underlying gum disease under that gingivitis, we may recommend some other treatment to address what's going on under the gums.
What can I do at home to treat gingivitis?
What can you do at home to treat gingivitis is a question some people may ask, and that is to really take care of your mouth. Good oral hygiene is very, very important in taking care of gingivitis. Regular flossing and brushing, that means every day, brushing multiple times during the day, and flossing at least once a day. You can also add a mouth rinse on top of that to help relieve the gingivitis.
How long does it take to cure gingivitis?
With a good treatment program, you might wonder how long it takes to help reduce gingivitis. Gingivitis itself doesn't take very long to resolve. If we do the proper treatments, you could probably see some results, good results in in probably two weeks.
When should I schedule a dental appointment if I suspect I may have gingivitis?
A question might arise: When should I schedule an appointment if I have a suspicion that I may have gingivitis? I would say give us a call right away. And we can schedule you to get an exam and get it treated.
I hope we've been able to answer all your questions about gingivitis. Please if you have any more questions, please give us a call here at Montpelier Family Dentistry at (301) 812-4599 and schedule an appointment, and we'll be happy to see you.