Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums. It is worth noting that the inflammation concerns only the gums, the connecting area with the tooth remains in order. Ligaments of bone and tooth are also not covered by the inflammatory process. This is a fairly common disease, it occurs very often in adults and much more often than in children.
Description of pathology
The biggest cause of illness is poor or poor oral hygiene. It is for this reason that it is commonly called the disease of uncleaned teeth. It may not have noticeable symptoms in some people, while others may experience bleeding gums. The symptoms of gingivitis in adults are quite unpleasant.
First, the papilla of the gums is involved in the inflammatory process, and then the rest of its parts. Gingivitis is rarely a transient phenomenon, very often it takes a chronic form, which is characterized by alternating remissions and periods of exacerbations.
Oral cavitycharacterized by a rather aggressive bacterial flora, since the primary processing and disinfection of food begins here. Therefore, inflammation of the oral cavity is a source of increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Everyone should know the symptoms of gingivitis.
How to identify an ailment?
Unaffected by the inflammatory process, the gums are pale pink in color, the tooth is tightly covered by it, there is no swelling or other visual defects of the gums, there is no pain or bleeding when brushing the teeth. If one of the listed points is violated, it is quite 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 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 be due to both local and system-wide factors. Their combination is not excluded.
Symptoms of gingivitis in children and photos of people who have experienced this disease are presented in this article.
Local factors preventing normal tooth brushing
Anatomical. These include:
- malocclusion;
- Close arrangement of teeth in the dentition;
- defect in the shape of a tooth, either one or more.
Factors-consequences of medical manipulations:
- damage to the gums during dental treatment;
- poor-quality filling, as a result of which places inaccessible for cleaning are created in the area of the filling (for example, poor-quality grinding or polishing becomes a breeding ground for bacteria);
- removable denture (may damage gums and accumulate plaque);
- prostheses-bridges (with them the process of brushing teeth is, in principle, complicated);
- tooth extraction and other oral surgery;
- devices and means for bite correction.
Cat altar deposits are a favorable condition for bacteria to attach, since places in the area of tartar deposits are not accessible for cleaning with a toothbrush.
Injuries to the gums that can be caused by:
- Toothbrushing too aggressive;
- picking foreign objects in the mouth;
- cavities, which cause food to get stuck in the teeth and injure the gums;
- picking teeth with foreign objects;
- eating rough, too hot or too spicy food;
- chemical burns, etc.
- Changes in the composition of saliva.
Below is a photo of a symptom of gingivitis in adults (reddening of the gums and swelling can be seen in the photo).
System Importance Factors
This is a wholea 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, resulting in a change in the reactive function of the gums. To 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;
- diseases of the endocrine system;
- diseases of the circulatory system;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and metabolic disorders;
- hypovitaminosis;
- taking certain drugs with severe side effects;
- chronic infectious diseases;
- bad habits;
- Intoxication lesions of an acute and chronic nature.
Consider below the symptoms of gingivitis in young patients.
Gingivitis in children
In children, the cause of gingivitis is also the accumulation and pathological effect of plaque. It is worth noting the reasons that lead to this. They are somewhat different from adult factors:
- premature extraction of milk teeth;
- orthodontic interventions, the use of too aggressive, age-inappropriate methods of dental correction;
- defects in the structure of the frenulum of the teeth;
- lack of eating hard foods;
- too much sweets and mashed foods;
- impaired nasal breathing and, as a result, mouth breathing;
- the habit of chewing gum (contrary to popular belief, chewing gum does not clean teeth well, but harms them);
- caries;
- pulpitis;
- pathology of the salivary glands.
Gingivitis symptoms 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.
Gingivitis symptoms
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 acute and chronic course, as well as localized and generalized manifestations.
Let's 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.
- Sharp shape. Often the symptoms of gingivitis appear during an exacerbation of chronic diseases or against the background of SARS. The patient is worried about sharp pains in the gum area, severe bleeding without being tied to brushing your teeth. A visual examination by a dentist reveals heavy plaque, caries, increased swelling and redness of the gums, even withtouch, bleeding gums, bad breath.
- Chronic form. The reason is frequent respiratory infections, psycho-emotional shocks, poor nutrition with a lack of vitamins, non-compliance with the rules of oral hygiene. Also worried about bleeding gums and bad breath. Examination at the dentist reveals bleeding gums when examined 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 advanced 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 extremely bad breath. Examination of dentists reveals abundant caries, pulpitis, an abundance of plaque, tartar, gray papilla of the gums, under the plaque of necrotic cells covering it, there is a previously bleeding focus. The tongue is covered with a gray-white coating.
An interesting fact is that ulcerative gingivitis is often one of the atypical forms of PMS.
Hypertrophic gingivitis of two forms:
- Fibrous form. An examination by a dentist reveals the following symptoms of gingivitis in adults - deep bite, an abundance of plaque, teeth that are too close together, gum papillae are changed, their growth is observed, and bleeding and swelling of the gums, as a rule, is not observed,
- Edematous form. As in the case of the fibrous form, an examination by a dentistreveals deep bite, abundance of plaque, too close arrangement of teeth. Only in this case, the gum is swollen and bleeds.
The reasons for both forms are:
- hormonal imbalance during pregnancy, puberty, menopause;
- bite defects;
- untreated catarrhal gingivitis;
- long-term use of vasoconstrictor, hormonal medications;
- orthodontic constructions low-quality fillings that affect the gum, thereby irritating and injuring it.
Will have a clear relationship between the symptoms and treatment of gingivitis in children. In the photo, some signs can be seen, but, of course, not all. In the treatment of the catarrhal form, tactics depend on the severity of the course of the disease.
Treatment of the chronic form
Therapy means:
- observance and improvement of personal oral hygiene skills;
- professional dental treatment: removal of tartar and plaque;
- use of local anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs (these can be ointments, gels, rinses);
- dental treatment, caries treatment;
- general strengthening methods: for example, taking vitamin complexes;
- may require bite correction in some cases.
Chronic gingivitis symptoms vary from person to person.
Acute treatment
- First of all, it is important to carry out antibacterial andanti-inflammatory therapy to eliminate swelling and pain.
- After the symptoms of acute gingivitis have been eliminated, further therapy involves the use of methods similar to those described above for chronic gingivitis.
- Gum hydromassage may be recommended at physician's discretion.
Treatment of ulcerative gingivitis
How to get rid of this form of the disease? The following must be adhered to:
- Removal of dental plaque, involving antibacterial treatment and pain relief with special gels.
- Treatment of ulcerative lesions. It usually involves pain relief and then cleaning the gums of ulcers with special tools and preparations.
- 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.
- Fortifying drugs: vitamin complexes or immunomodulators if necessary.
Treatment of diseased teeth is carried out after.
Ulcerative gingivitis is the basis for issuing a sick leave. This disease causes so much trouble.
Hypertrophic gingivitis
Therapeutic approaches are the same as for catarrhal, with only one feature that after anti-inflammatory treatment followssurgical removal of overgrown gums. Before surgery, the treatment of fibrous hypertrophic gingivitis is carried out in the same way as chronic catarrhal, and the edematous form - as acute catarrhal.
We continue to review 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 to prescribing medical treatment for gingivitis with the only exception that oral medications, including antibacterials, are prescribed after the approval of a gynecologist, and for hypertrophic gingivitis, treatment is limited to local symptoms.
Thus, treatment during pregnancy is as sparing as possible, which does not always guarantee its effectiveness. Therefore, in medicine, research is constantly underway 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 containing Mexidol. Also, the use of Vulnuzan ointment has recently been known.
There are also a lot of folk ways to fight inflammation of the gums: rosehip decoction, juices (maple, orange, lemon, grapefruit, birch), nettle infusion, s alt solution and even milk.
Treatment of gingivitis in children
The most important factor in the fight against gingivitis in children ispromotion of preventive measures: teaching 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 they are already trained in hygiene procedures.
After all, it depends directly on the symptoms and treatment of gingivitis. We presented photos of people with this disease in the article.
Is it possible to get rid of the disease at home?
If you can not get professional dental care, you can try to fight catarrhal gingivitis at home. First of all, you need a good brushing of your teeth. To combat plaque, ROCS toothpaste helps a lot. There are a number of toothpastes against bleeding gums: Forest Balsam, Paradontax or Lacalut. It is advisable to use them in combination with the rinse aids of the same name. From folk remedies, a decoction of chamomile or sage is used as an antiseptic rinse.
The pharmacy market offers a range of anti-inflammatory gels and ointments, such as Asepta.
Note that daily oral hygiene, including brushing and rinsing, is key.
Recommendations and remedies are described for all symptoms of gingivitis. The photo, unfortunately, cannot convey all the discomfort that the disease brings.
Recommendations
In cases of uncomplicated course of the ulcerative form, there are the followingrecommendations:
- drugs based on metronidazole;
- Miramistin or Chlorhexidine solutions (baths) (several times a day);
- Metrogyl Denta gel (apply several times a day);
- treat ulcer sites with Solcoseryl, you can use rosehip oil (as a healing agent).
