What do you do if you are experiencing gingivitis? You may notice your gums are puffy, tender, and/or bleed easily. These are all signs of gingivitis. This is the first stage of gum disease. This means your gums are infected. So what do you do if you have or think you have gingivitis?

What to do if you have or think you have gingivitis

First, if you are experiencing gingivitis symptoms, start with being diligent about brushing and flossing. These are healthy practices to prevent gingivitis, but it's never too late to benefit from being diligent with routine home care.

Perhaps you only have one or a few teeth where the gums bleed or is frequently giving you trouble. This may be due to the alignment or shape of the tooth causing a food trap. If you have areas notorious for trapping food, carrying a proxy brush or using a Waterpik can dramatically clear up the irritation in these areas and give your gums a chance to heal.

Stress, sleep, and the foods we eat all affect our immune system, hormones, inflammatory response, and even the quality of our saliva. If these are well balanced, we are resilient to all diseases, but if they are not, we become more susceptible to disease, including gum disease.

For instance, healthy saliva helps cleanse the mouth and protect us from cavities and gum disease. And an unhealthy diet can alter the pH of our saliva, making it work against us. 

When we eat nourishing whole foods, our immune system is strengthened, our body builds healthy tissues, our saliva quality is improved, and we promote healthy protective bacterial flora in the mouth. 

There's a lot of talk about probiotics and flora with our digestion. The mouth is the beginning of our digestion, and our mouth, too, contains bacterial flora. The bacteria in healthy flora reduce our chance of cavities and gum disease because these beneficial bacteria help keep the harmful bacteria in check. 

Probiotic supplements have now been created for the mouth. You can read more about that here. Studies show a healthy diet will increase these beneficial bacteria in the mouth.

If you think you might have gingivitis, you must see your dentist immediately. Gingivitis is easy to treat in its early stages. But if it's not treated, it can lead to more severe gum disease.

How to treat gingivitis

To treat gingivitis, your dentist may recommend:

• A professional cleaning to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth
• Improved oral hygiene, including brushing and flossing more often
• Medications, such as antibiotics or mouth rinses, to help control the infection
• A deep cleaning, also called scaling and root planing, to remove plaque and tartar from below the gum line
• Teeth alignment, your dentist may suggest addressing any spacing issues that are catching food and causing problems

Discomfort in your gums is your body telling you something is off. While gingivitis is common, it should still not be ignored. Gingivitis means your gums are infected, spreading to the bone around your teeth if left untreated, and even wreaking havoc throughout your whole body, such as your heart. 

Finding a Dentist

If you suspect gingivitis, follow your dentist's instructions for oral hygiene and keep up with regular dental checkups. With proper treatment, gingivitis can be reversed. But if it's not treated, it can lead to more severe gum disease. If you are experiencing discomfort in your gums, our dentist office is located in Salem, MA, and is here to help.