Hello, I'm Dr. Mehrdad Soheili from Yalda Dental. Today I'd like to talk about a topic that I've been asked about many times by my patients. It's a very simple and short question.
What is gingivitis?
Gingivitis is inflammation of gum and soft tissue in the mouth. It's a general term for gum. It's not scientific; it's not in the world of dentistry. In dental books about periodontics or any other topics in dentistry, we don't say gum, we call it gingivitis. 'I-tis' is a Latin phrase meaning inflammation, and we use it in many other specialties and other terms, like 'arthritis' means inflammation of joints. So, gingivitis means inflammation of gingival tissue or gum tissue. Gum is inflamed. There is a big difference between gingivitis and periodontitis. Periodontitis is gum disease, which involves losing the attachment, which is bone-supported, to the roots and teeth and gingival tissue. Gingivitis, however, is only an inflammation without any loss of bone or gingival tissue.
What are the first symptoms of gingivitis?
Most of the time, gingivitis is not painful. Sometimes it might be tender, and the most common sign is redness of the gingival tissue, like a line at the border of gingiva and tooth. This means when gum meets teeth as a line, it's a very narrow line where the color is very different from the rest of the gingival tissue. It's red, looks rolled, and kind of puffy.
Can you have gingivitis and periodontitis at the same time?
The answer to this question is yes and no. Periodontitis always includes inflammation, and as I explained, gingivitis is inflammation of the gum. So when we have periodontitis, we definitely have inflammation and infection, so it's like both in one. When we have gingivitis, it means there is no periodontitis, no loss of gum, gingival tissue, or supporting bone. But periodontitis means attachment loss, meaning teeth are losing their attachment, both bony and soft tissue support.
How do dentists treat gingivitis?
Treating gingivitis is more the patient's part, the patient's job, which means cleaning, flossing, and brushing. The dentist does a good and deep cleaning for the patient, and then the rest is just oral hygiene instruction and the patient following the oral hygiene.
How long does it take to cure gingivitis?
The good news is gingivitis heals very fast if the patient starts very orthodox oral hygiene, including brushing, flossing, using a water pick, and massaging the gums. We should, as dentists and periodontists, recall our patients for cleaning every 3 months when we see generalized severe gingivitis in our patients, as opposed to doing a cleaning and periodic exams every 6 months. For how long? For at least 2 years. After 2 years, if the patient has been following instructions and has very good oral hygiene and there is no gingivitis anymore, we can switch back to doing the cleaning and examinations every six months.
When should I schedule a dental appointment if I suspect I may have gingivitis?
As soon as possible is the answer. We don't wait on gingivitis, and we don't wait on any problem that happens in our mouth, especially to the gum tissue because gingival tissue or gum is very delicate, very vulnerable, and fragile tissue.