When we think about a healthy smile, most of us focus on the teeth, but dental health encompasses all parts of the mouth, including the gums. Gums should be firm, a light shade of pink, and fitted tightly around the base of each tooth. If you notice any changes in your gums, you may be experiencing the first stages of gingivitis.
What is gingivitis?
Gingivitis is a common periodontal disease that involves the gingiva. Gingiva is the gum tissue located right at the root of each tooth. One of the most common forms of gum disease, gingivitis may begin as a relatively mild problem, but, if left untreated, it can have much more serious consequences (including tooth loss).
Healthy teeth have a pocket depth of one or two millimeters. Your dental assistant or dentist will diagnose gingivitis by testing the depth of each tooth pocket. You may have noticed this when, during a dental examination, your dentist uses a metal probe on each tooth and calls out a number. In general, gingivitis is diagnosed when these tooth pockets reach a depth between two and four millimeters.
What are the early stages of gingivitis?
Gingivitis symptoms may not seem very pronounced. In fact, many people might not think anything is wrong. Some of the early stages of gingivitis can include:
- Bleeding gums
- Dark or swollen gums
- Tender gums
Bleeding gums
In the early stages of gingivitis, your gums may bleed. This doesn’t often mean a high volume of blood, but you may notice a pinkish tinge after you floss or brush your teeth.
Dark or swollen gums
From light pink and firm to darker shades of red and even purple, a change in the color and feel of your gums can be one of the earliest gingivitis signs.
Tender gums
Even if your gums don’t change color or swell, you may notice an increased sensitivity when you brush or eat. Everyone’s body reacts differently to a gingival infection, so sometimes tenderness is an early gingivitis symptom.
What’s stage 2 gingivitis?
Stage 2 gingivitis is also known as early periodontal disease. Patients with early periodontal disease have a tooth pocket depth of four to five millimeters. There are other signs that can help diagnose this next stage of gingivitis.
More bleeding, more consistently
A patient with stage 2 gingivitis will see more consistent bleeding whenever they brush and floss. The amount of blood will increase, and bleeding may even occur during eating.
Gum inflammation
Inflamed and sensitive gums will be more pronounced in this second stage, often making eating uncomfortable.
Receding gums
As gingivitis progresses, gums will begin to pull away from the base of teeth. This creates gaps between the teeth and gum, gaps that can trap food and cause tooth decay.
Bad breath
As gaps in the gums begin to trap food particles and decay sets in, you may notice an increase in bad breath that does not go away with mints, mouthwash, or brushing.
Are there more than two stages of gingivitis?
After stage 2 gingivitis, patients may experience the next two stages: moderate periodontitis and advanced periodontitis.
Moderate periodontitis
As gingivitis progresses, tooth pocket depth increases to six to seven millimeters. Patients may experience even more pain and inflammation in their gums, accompanied by bleeding. Eating may be very uncomfortable. More troublesome at this stage is the potential for bone loss.
Other dental issues (e.g., tooth abscess) may also arise, and the infection in your gums may begin to affect your entire body, causing an overall inflammatory response.
Advanced periodontitis
This final stage of periodontal disease can be traumatic for patients. Tooth pockets are almost a quarter inch deep, and gums are so receded that teeth may begin to fall out. Extreme pain that prevents eating is accompanied by foul-smelling and foul-tasting breath. Gums may ooze with infection.
This stage can cause serious, system-wide complications that can, in rare cases, include death from infection that travels to the brain.
How will I know when my gingivitis is severe?
Severe gingivitis is an easy dental issue to recognize. Gingivitis signs of bleeding gums and sensitivity may be easy to ignore or write-off as minor, but once you begin to see your gums receding from the base of your teeth you may have progressed to more advanced stages. Foul breath or a bad taste in your mouth can be a sign that gingivitis is severe.
The most important thing is to treat gingivitis before it progresses past the initial stages.
How to treat gingivitis
The early stages of gingivitis are highly treatable. Gingivitis treatment in your case might include a reinforced commitment to brushing and flossing twice daily. At AZ Dentist, we also recommend a deep cleaning twice yearly to remove excess tartar and plaque.
As gingivitis symptoms progress, treatment becomes more complicated. For stage 2 gingivitis, your dentist may perform a procedure called scaling and root planing to remove deeper layers of tartar and plaque and smooth out the teeth. They can even clean below the gum to allow the tooth and gum to re-attach.
The later stages of periodontal disease are much more complicated to treat. In addition to deep cleaning, scaling and root planing, your dentist may use a mild laser to kill bacteria. They will also reiterate the importance of home care and may suggest antibacterial mouthwashes or a different toothbrush.
Once gingivitis reaches the most advanced stage, it is important to treat the infection aggressively, often with antibiotics. Loose teeth may be removed, and it may be necessary to surgically address bone loss with grafts and dental implants to replace teeth.
Start with prevention
When it comes to gingivitis treatment, the best option is prevention.
Brushing and flossing regularly, seeing your dentist regularly, and looking into natural remedies for a healthy mouth are the best ways to prevent all stages of gingivitis.
Your Phoenix area dental clinic is AZ Dentist. Contact us today for a complete evaluation of your oral health!
Leave A Comment