Gingivitis is an inflammatory process of the gums. It is worth noting that inflammation only affects the gums, the connecting area with the tooth remains in order. Ligaments of the bone and tooth are also not covered by the inflammatory process. This is a fairly common disease, in adults it is very common and much more common than in children.
Pathology Description
The most important cause of the disease is poor or poor oral hygiene. It is for this reason that it has a common name - a disease of uncleaned teeth. It may not have noticeable symptoms in some people, while others may experience bleeding gums. Symptoms of gingivitis in adults are rather unpleasant.
The papilla of the gum is first involved in the inflammatory process, and then the rest of it. Gingivitis is rarely a passing phenomenon, very often it takes a chronic form, which is characterized by the alternation of remissions and periods of exacerbations.
The oral cavity is characterized by a fairly aggressive bacterial flora, since the primary processing and disinfection of food begins here. Therefore, inflammatory processes in the oral cavity are a source of an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Everyone should know the symptoms of gingivitis.
How to determine the ailment?
The gum, not affected by the inflammatory process, is of a pale pink color, the tooth is covered tightly, there is no swelling or other visual defects of the gums, and there is no pain or bleeding when brushing your teeth. In case of violation of one of the items listed, it is possible to assume the presence of gingivitis.
Causes of occurrence
As we noted above, this is an inflammatory process, the source of which is oral bacteria, which are found in large quantities in plaque. When certain conditions are created, they are activated and thereby cause an inflammatory process. Medicine has proven that if the gum is free from the bacterial presence, then the development of gingivitis is, in principle, impossible.
So, it was noted above that the main initial cause of gingivitis is the accumulation of plaque. This can occur due to both local factors and the system-wide. Their combination is not excluded.
Symptoms of gingivitis in children and photos of people who have encountered this ailment are presented in this article.
Local factors that interfere with normal toothbrushing
Anatomical These include:
- malocclusion;
- close arrangement of teeth in the dentition;
- a defect in the shape of a tooth, either one or several.
Factors-consequences of medical manipulations:
- damage to the gums during tooth treatment;
- poor-quality filling, as a result of which inaccessible places for cleaning are created in the area of the seal (for example, poor-quality grinding or polishing becomes the place of a hotbed of bacteria);
- removable denture (can damage the gums and accumulate plaque);
- prosthetic bridges (with them, the process of brushing is complicated in principle);
- tooth extraction and other surgical procedures in the oral cavity;
- apparatus and means for bite correction.
Tartar deposits are a favorable condition for the attachment of bacteria, since places in the area of tartar deposits are not accessible for brushing.
Gum injuries caused by:
- Too aggressive brushing;
- picking foreign objects in the mouth;
- caries, which causes food stuck in the teeth and injuring the gums;
- picking teeth with foreign objects;
- eating rough, too hot or too spicy food;
- chemical burns, etc.
- Change in saliva composition.
Below is a photo of a gingivitis symptom in adults (you can see gum redness and swelling in the photo).
Systemic Factors
This is a whole combination of external and internal circumstances of both physiological and pathological significance, which leads to a decrease in both general and local immunity of the oral cavity, the result of which is a change in the reactive function of the gums. We list a few:
- age (not necessarily aging, any age-related hormonal changes in the body can cause changes in the body);
- psycho-emotional states;
- genetic factors;
- endocrine system diseases;
- diseases of the circulatory system;
- gastrointestinal diseases and metabolic disorders;
- hypovitaminosis;
- taking certain drugs with pronounced side effects;
- chronic infectious diseases;
- bad habits;
- intoxication lesions of an acute and chronic nature.
Consider the symptoms of gingivitis in young patients below.
Gingivitis in children
In children, the accumulation and pathological effect of plaque is also the cause of gingivitis. It is worth noting the reasons that lead to this. They are slightly different from adult factors:
- premature extraction of primary teeth;
- orthodontic interventions, the use of too aggressive, age-inconsistent methods of dental correction;
- structural defects in the frenum of teeth;
- lack of hard foods;
- excess sweets and mashed foods;
- impaired nasal breathing and, as a result, oral breathing;
- the habit of chewing chewing gum (contrary to popular belief, chewing gum does not contribute to high-quality cleansing of the teeth, but harms them);
- caries;
- pulpitis;
- pathology of the salivary glands.
Symptoms of gingivitis in children are almost the same as in adults.
Gingivitis during pregnancy
It is widely known that during pregnancy, many women almost lose their teeth. Gingivitis also does not bypass this population group. Against the background of pregnancy, the hormonal background of the body changes, which entails a change in the reactive function of the gums, which begin to bleed.
Symptoms of gingivitis
For a more accurate overview of the symptoms of this disease, it should be noted that there are 3 forms of gingivitis:
- catarrhal;
- ulcerative;
- hypertrophic.
They can have an acute and chronic course, and also have localized and generalized manifestations.
Consider the symptoms of each classification case separately.
Catarrhal gingivitis. The catarrhal form of gingivitis is often characteristic of patients with diseases of the stomach.
- Acute form. Often, the symptoms of gingivitis appear during an exacerbation of chronic diseases or against the background of acute respiratory viral infections. The patient is worried about sharp pains in the gum, severe bleeding without reference to brushing your teeth. A visual examination by a dentist reveals a strong dental plaque, caries, increased swelling and redness of the gums even when touched, bleeding gums, bad breath.
- Chronic form. The reason is frequent respiratory infections, psycho-emotional shocks, poor nutrition with a lack of vitamins, and poor oral hygiene. Also worried about bleeding gums and bad breath. Examination by a dentist reveals bleeding gums during examination with a dental instrument, swelling of the gums, an abundance of tartar and plaque.
Ulcerative gingivitis. The reasons are also poor dental care, bad habits, SARS, poor nutrition with a lack of trace elements and vitamins, as well as neglected catarrhal gingivitis. The patient is concerned about sharp and sharp pains in the gums, much more pronounced than with the catarrhal form of gingivitis, as well as an extremely bad breath. Examination of dentists reveals abundant caries, pulpitis, an abundance of plaque, tartar, gray papilla of the gum, under the coating of necrotic cells covering it is a previously bleeding lesion. The tongue is covered with a touch of gray-white color.
An interesting fact is that ulcerative gingivitis is often one of the atypical forms of the course of PMS.
Hypertrophic gingivitis of two forms:
- Fibrous form. Examination by a dentist reveals the following symptoms of gingivitis in adults - a deep bite, an abundance of plaque, too close teeth, gum papillae are changed, their growth is observed, and bleeding and swelling of the gums, as a rule, are not observed,
- Edematous form. As in the case of the fibrous form, the examination at the dentist reveals a deep bite, an abundance of plaque, too close teeth. Only in this case, the gum is swollen and bleeding.
The causes of both forms are:
- hormonal imbalance during pregnancy, puberty, during menopause;
- malocclusion;
- untreated catarrhal gingivitis;
- prolonged use of vasoconstrictive, hormonal medications;
- orthodontic constructions of poor quality filling, which affect the gum, thereby irritating and injuring it.
The symptoms and treatment of gingivitis in children will have a clear relationship. Some signs can be seen in the photo, but, of course, not all. In the treatment of a catarrhal form, tactics depend on the severity of the course of the disease.
Chronic treatment
Therapy involves the following:
- observance and improvement of personal oral hygiene skills;
- professional dental treatment: removal of tartar and plaque;
- the use of local anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs (these can be ointments, gels, rinses);
- dental treatment, caries treatment;
- restorative methods: for example, taking vitamin complexes;
- in some cases, bite correction may be required.
Symptoms of chronic gingivitis are manifested in all different ways.
Acute treatment
- First of all, it is important to conduct antibacterial and anti-inflammatory therapy to eliminate puffiness and pain.
- After eliminating the symptoms of acute gingivitis, further therapy involves the use of methods similar to those described above for chronic gingivitis.
- At the discretion of the doctor, gum hydromassage may be recommended.
Gingivitis ulcer treatment
How to get rid of this form of the disease? It is necessary to adhere to the following:
- Removal of dental deposits, suggesting antibacterial treatment and analgesia using special gels.
- Treatment of ulcerative lesions. It usually includes anesthesia, and then cleansing the gums from ulcers using special tools and drugs.
- The use of local antibacterial drugs based on metronidazole, and in the second stage, wound healing drugs are used.
- You may need to take antibiotics in the form of tablets based on the same metronidazole.
- Anti-inflammatory methods.
- Taking antihistamines.
- General strengthening drugs: vitamin complexes or immunomodulators, if necessary.
Treatment of diseased teeth is carried out after.
Ulcerative gingivitis is the basis for issuing a disability certificate. So much trouble is this disease.
Hypertrophic gingivitis
The therapeutic approaches are similar to those for the catarrhal one, with one peculiarity: after anti-inflammatory treatment, surgical removal of the overgrown gums follows. Before surgery, treatment of fibrous hypertrophic gingivitis is carried out in the same way as chronic catarrhal, and edematous form - as acute catarrhal.
We continue to consider the symptoms and treatment of gingivitis in adults. Photos of some forms of pathology are presented.
Therapy of gingivitis during pregnancy
Pregnancy is not a contraindication for prescribing medication for gingivitis with the only exception that oral medications, including antibacterials, are prescribed after the approval of the gynecologist, and with hypertrophic gingivitis, treatment is limited only to the removal of local symptoms.
Thus, treatment during pregnancy is as gentle as possible, which does not always guarantee its effectiveness. Therefore, medicine is constantly researching for new methods of treatment that do not affect the fetus. For example, a fairly new method of treating gingivitis during pregnancy is the use of a warm compress, which includes mexidol and paraffin, as well as the use of therapeutic toothpastes and mouth rinses with mexidol. Also recently, the use of Vulnuzan ointment has been known.
There are also a lot of folk ways to combat gum inflammation: rosehip broth, juices (maple, orange, lemon, grapefruit, birch), nettle infusion, sodium chloride solution, and even milk.
Therapy of gingivitis in children
The most important factor in the fight against gingivitis in children is the promotion of preventive measures: training in proper oral and dental hygiene. If necessary, professional hygiene can be carried out. If the disease takes the form of a severe form, for example, ulcerative gingivitis, then the tactics are the same as in adults, and then hygiene procedures are taught.
After all, the treatment of gingivitis depends directly on the symptoms. Photos of people with this disease we presented in the article.
Can I get rid of the disease at home?
If there is no way to get professional dental care, you can try to fight catarrhal gingivitis at home. First of all, you need a good brushing. ROCS toothpaste helps with plaque control. There are a number of toothpastes against bleeding gums: Forest Balm, Paradontax, or Lacalut. It is desirable to use them in combination with the rinses of the same name. From folk remedies, as an antiseptic conditioner, a decoction of chamomile or sage is used.
The pharmacy market offers a number of anti-inflammatory gels and ointments, for example, Asepta.
Note that daily oral hygiene, including brushing and rinsing, is key.
Recommendations and treatments are described for all symptoms of gingivitis. Photo, unfortunately, can not convey all the unpleasant sensations that the disease delivers.
Recommendations
In cases of uncomplicated ulcer flow, the following recommendations exist:
- preparations based on metronidazole;
- Miramistin or Chlorhexidine solutions (baths) (several times a day);
- gel "Metrogil Dent" (apply several times a day);
- treat ulcers with Solcoseryl, you can use rose hip oil (as a healing agent).