If left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis, which is more serious and can eventually lead to loss of teeth.
Gingivitis is a mild inflammation of the gums that can lead to serious problems if not taken seriously.
The most common cause of gingivitis is poor oral hygiene, although it may also be due to some nutritional deficiencies.
Since gingivitis is rarely painful it may be that you have it, without you even knowing it.
Gingivitis leads to the rapid formation of plaque (tartar), and can cause bad breath even though your teeth are completely healthy.
Factors that contribute to gingivitis include: poor oral hygiene, smoking, long-term build-up of tartar, diabetes, age, weak immune system due to chronic diseases, use of certain medications and poor nutrition.
Symptoms of gingivitis
- bleeding gums when brushing
- light- red or red-purple color of gums
- soft or swollen gums
- pulled away gums (do not cover enough teeth)
- bad breath
How to treat the inflammation of the gums?
The treatment of gingivitis can be quite challenging. There are many natural remedies, but few are those who are truly effective.
In the following paragraphs we will describe the most effective methods, which do not necessarily have to be natural.
Dental scaling
Dental tartar presses the gums, causing them to pull away and contributes to inflammation. Therefore it is important to do a professional scaling every 6 months. It’s pretty painless, and the only disadvantage is that it can cause a mild bleeding during cleaning, if your gums are inflamed.
Green tea
Green tea is one of the few natural remedies that is effective and proven way to preserve the health of your gums.
Substances in green tea inhibit the growth of bacteria on the gums and thus reduce inflammation.
Green tea can also be found as an ingredient in special toothpastes, and can be found in capsules as an extract.
There are also chewing gums with green tea extract, and various sweets too.
Rinse mouth with hydrogen peroxide or mouthwash
Hydrogen peroxide is a liquid similar to water that is used in medicine for disinfection or killing the bacteria.
You can buy a diluted hydrogen peroxide (3%) in pharmacies. It will help you disinfect the mouth and gums, and it will additionally whiten your teeth.
Hydrogen peroxide is very safe and quite useful, but it is not recommended to use it for longer than 7 days, since it kills both, good and bad bacteria in the mouth, and can lead to ulcers in the mouth.
If you plan to use it for a longer period, then use it every second or third day. Many mouthwash products contain diluted hydrogen peroxide.
source: http://www.goodmorningcenter.com
