ifyouwannabemylover
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What do healthy gums look like?
-> Thick, bright pink tissue with no signs of disease or recession
Gingivitis - gum disease
Gingivitis, also known as gum disease, is simply inflammation of the gum tissue. It’s pretty much always caused by a lack of oral hygiene (flossing), leaving the bacterial bio film to cause an immune response. A lot of people who have gingivitis do not know because their dentists do not tell them.
Symptoms of gingivitis are:
- red/purple gum tissue
- swollen gum tissue
- bleeding gums
Treating gingivitis
Gingivitis is treated with good oral hygiene. That is brushing two times and flossing once a day to get rid of all the plaque along with regular professional cleanings.
Before and after cleaning and tartar removal:
-> Notice how the swelling and redness of the gum tissue went down.
If you have gingivitis (there's a good chance you do), get a dental cleaning and start flossing or using interdental brushes regularly to prevent plaque and tartar build up. Flossing with inflamed gums will cause them to bleed initially, but that will subside once the inflammation goes down.
Periodontitis
While not all cases of gingivitis lead to periodontitis, periodontitis is always preceded by gingivitis. That means periodontitis occurs when gingivitis is left untreated.
Symptons of periodontitis are:
- red/purple, swollen and bleeding gums (as with gingivitis)
- gum recession
- pain around the gums and teeth
- lose teeth
- eventually, tooth loss
What does gum recession look like?
When your gum tissue recedes, the roots of your teeth may be exposed, your teeth will appear longer and “black triangles” (empty spaces between your teeth) will begin to form – it’s over.
Preventing gum recession
1. Oral hygiene
As stated earlier, gum recession is a common symptom of periodontitis. Then again, periodontitis is an advanced stage of gingivitis. Therefore, good dental hygiene in the form of regular plaque removal is essential. That also includes flossing. You can brush all you want, but if you don’t clean in between your teeth, you’ll still have plaque build up and get gingivitis, eventually periodontitis and gum recession and then it’s a wrap.
-> Brushing is just half the deal. The other half is flossing.
2. Good brushing techniqueAnother common cause of gum recession is brushing wrong or too aggressively, causing the gum tissue to recede from too much force over time. Generally, you should always opt for soft toothbrushes, brush gently and scrub away from the gum tissue. Especially people who have thinner gum tissue to begin with need to take extra care when brushing because thin gum tissue is more prone to recession.
Detailed explanation here:
3. Teeth grinding
When you put pressure on teeth by grinding them (often nightly grinding), you’ll also put pressure on the tooth membrane that surrounds the roots of your teeth. By putting pressure on the tooth membrane, you’re constricting blood supply to the surrounding bone and gum tissue. Overtime, this too can cause gums to recede. Using a night guard is therefore recommended.
Treating gum recession
Once your gums have receded, there are two major ways to treat the recession – gum grafts and what’s called the pinhole technique.
Gum grafting
Gum grafting is simply taking gum tissue from another area in the mouth and using it to replace the lost gum tissue from gum recession.
Pinhole technique
For the pinhole technique, a small pinhole is made in the affected gum tissue in order to losen it and pull it over recessed and exposed areas.
Gum graft VS pinhole technique comparison video:
Bottom line
It’s important to know that the more advanced the degree of gum disease and recession, the more difficult it is to treat. Therefore, it’s important to act early once you notice recession and make sure to prevent it happening in the first place, for both a healthier and more aesthetic smile.
If you want to find out more about the topic, check out Dr Joseph Nemeth's channel on Youtube:
-> Thick, bright pink tissue with no signs of disease or recession
Gingivitis - gum disease
Gingivitis, also known as gum disease, is simply inflammation of the gum tissue. It’s pretty much always caused by a lack of oral hygiene (flossing), leaving the bacterial bio film to cause an immune response. A lot of people who have gingivitis do not know because their dentists do not tell them.
Symptoms of gingivitis are:
- red/purple gum tissue
- swollen gum tissue
- bleeding gums
Treating gingivitis
Gingivitis is treated with good oral hygiene. That is brushing two times and flossing once a day to get rid of all the plaque along with regular professional cleanings.
Before and after cleaning and tartar removal:
-> Notice how the swelling and redness of the gum tissue went down.
If you have gingivitis (there's a good chance you do), get a dental cleaning and start flossing or using interdental brushes regularly to prevent plaque and tartar build up. Flossing with inflamed gums will cause them to bleed initially, but that will subside once the inflammation goes down.
Periodontitis
While not all cases of gingivitis lead to periodontitis, periodontitis is always preceded by gingivitis. That means periodontitis occurs when gingivitis is left untreated.
Symptons of periodontitis are:
- red/purple, swollen and bleeding gums (as with gingivitis)
- gum recession
- pain around the gums and teeth
- lose teeth
- eventually, tooth loss
What does gum recession look like?
When your gum tissue recedes, the roots of your teeth may be exposed, your teeth will appear longer and “black triangles” (empty spaces between your teeth) will begin to form – it’s over.
Preventing gum recession
1. Oral hygiene
As stated earlier, gum recession is a common symptom of periodontitis. Then again, periodontitis is an advanced stage of gingivitis. Therefore, good dental hygiene in the form of regular plaque removal is essential. That also includes flossing. You can brush all you want, but if you don’t clean in between your teeth, you’ll still have plaque build up and get gingivitis, eventually periodontitis and gum recession and then it’s a wrap.
-> Brushing is just half the deal. The other half is flossing.
2. Good brushing technique
Detailed explanation here:
3. Teeth grinding
When you put pressure on teeth by grinding them (often nightly grinding), you’ll also put pressure on the tooth membrane that surrounds the roots of your teeth. By putting pressure on the tooth membrane, you’re constricting blood supply to the surrounding bone and gum tissue. Overtime, this too can cause gums to recede. Using a night guard is therefore recommended.
Treating gum recession
Once your gums have receded, there are two major ways to treat the recession – gum grafts and what’s called the pinhole technique.
Gum grafting
Gum grafting is simply taking gum tissue from another area in the mouth and using it to replace the lost gum tissue from gum recession.
Pinhole technique
For the pinhole technique, a small pinhole is made in the affected gum tissue in order to losen it and pull it over recessed and exposed areas.
Gum graft VS pinhole technique comparison video:
Bottom line
It’s important to know that the more advanced the degree of gum disease and recession, the more difficult it is to treat. Therefore, it’s important to act early once you notice recession and make sure to prevent it happening in the first place, for both a healthier and more aesthetic smile.
If you want to find out more about the topic, check out Dr Joseph Nemeth's channel on Youtube:
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