I practically never brush my teeth, however I drink heaps of fluoridated tap water and hardly any soft drink or alcohol.I went to a dentist this morning and they told me that my teeth were fine, but my gums were very bad. They poked this thing into my gums which made them bleed and then they told me off and said that it shouldn't have bled that easily.
They said I have gingervitis and that I need to brush my gums more.
I've never heard of gingervitis before. I thought it was a made up disease where people turn into gingers (grow red hair). Anyway, can someone please tell me something about it? Is it serious? Will I ever be able to recover or is the damage permanent?
I'm scared!
Dave F - Try googling Gingivitis.
ReplyDeletetoirties - Gingivitis. Usually they prescribe prescription toothpaste for it. Or they used to. Things have changed in the ten years since I had it. Start brushing. It goes away with proper oral hygiene. Start flossing. Gently. If you don't it can lead to spontaneous dental hydroplosion.
ReplyDeleteD - Not GINGERvitis. Gingivitis. It's swollen and inflamed gums, and if you don't treat it, within years, your teeth could start to losen and fall out. They have toothpaste you can buy that's said can reverse gingivitis in as little as 4 weeks as long as you brush twice a day with it
ReplyDeleteBellaRae - FIRST of all GROSS, why don't you brush your teeth..yuck.
ReplyDeleteIn the early stage of gingivitis, bacteria in plaque build up, causes the gums to become inflamed (red and swollen) and often easily bleed during tooth brushing. Although the gums may be irritated, the teeth are still firmly planted in their sockets. No irreversible bone or other tissue damage has occurred at this stage.
When gingivitis is left untreated, it can advance to periodontitis. In a person with periodontitis, the inner layer of the gum and bone pull away from the teeth and form pockets. These small spaces between teeth and gums collect debris and can become infected. The body's immune system fights the bacteria as the plaque spreads and grows below the gum line.
Toxins or poisons - produced by the bacteria in plaque as well as the body's "good" enzymes involved in fighting infections - start to break down the bone and connective tissue that hold teeth in place. As the disease progresses, the pockets deepen and more gum tissue and bone are destroyed. When this happens, teeth are no longer anchored in place, they become loose and tooth loss occurs. Gum disease, in fact, is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.