How You Can Prevent and Treat Gingivitis

Are your gums slightly swollen, tender, or sore? Do you bleed a little when you brush and floss? When you look in the mirror, are your gums red instead of pink? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might have gingivitis, an early form of gum disease. So, what can you do to treat this condition? How can you prevent it in the future? Let’s take a closer look at how to treat gingivitis in Ft. Collins.

What Is Gingivitis?

Normal, healthy gums are pale pink and firm. If your gums are red, tender, or bleed when you brush or floss, you might have gingivitis. A receding gumline and chronic bad breath are also symptoms of the condition.

Gingivitis is a fairly common disease, but one that you should still take seriously. If your gingivitis doesn’t get treated, it could progress to a more dangerous stage of gum disease called periodontitis, which can spread to the bone keeping your teeth anchored to your jaw and result in tooth loss.

How You Can Prevent Gingivitis

Fortunately, gingivitis is not that difficult to keep at bay if you stick to the following steps:

• Practice good oral hygiene. Brush your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste twice a day for two minutes at a time. Ideally, you should brush after every meal and snack. Additionally, you’ll want to floss at least once daily to remove particles of food and plaque from between your teeth and along your gumline.
• Visit your dentist in Ft. Collins regularly. See your dentist for checkups and professional cleanings every six months. These appointments can clean plaque and tartar out of your mouth that could put you at risk for gingivitis.

How to Treat Gingivitis

Once you have gingivitis, you should treat it before it progresses into full-fledged gum disease. Luckily, it’s fairly easy to do:

• Use antibacterial toothpaste and mouthwash. Antibacterial toothpaste continues to fight plaque after you’re done brushing, and antibacterial mouthwash clears plaque out of the areas of your mouth that your toothbrush can’t reach.
• Brush your teeth more efficiently. Your dentist might suggest tips on how to brush more effectively, like using an electric toothbrush or paying special attention to the gumline, where plaque loves to accumulate.

These at-home treatments aren’t your only choices. Your dentist may also try these options in their office:

• Deep cleaning. Your dentist uses special tools to remove plaque from under the gumline.
• Antibiotic treatment. An antibiotic gel is spread along your gum pockets after a deep cleaning to curb infection. Your dentist may also prescribe an antibiotic in pill form.
• Prescription antibacterial mouthwash. Your dentist may prescribe this to add to your oral health routine.

Having gingivitis doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Now that you’re armed with more knowledge of the condition, you should be well-equipped to prevent yourself from ever developing it.

About the Author

Dr. Shiloh Lindsey is a 1999 graduate of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry. She opened her own practice in Ft. Collins, CO two years later and has never looked back. She prides herself on treating patients with respect and honesty. Her practice offers gum disease treatment to alleviate your gingivitis. To learn more, click here to contact her office.