Common causes of gingivitis – and how to treat it
When you see toothpaste ads and hear people talk, it seems everyone’s worried about this thing in their mouths called ‘gingivitis’.
But what is gingivitis, and what does it actually mean for your oral health?
In this article, we’ll go over what causes gingivitis, the risk factors involved, what happens if you leave it untreated, and what to do about it.
In this article:
What is gingivitis?
Gingivitis, also known as periodontal disease or gum disease, is a mild inflammation of the gums which can result in a few painful symptoms – redness, swelling, tenderness, sometimes even bleeding.
The good news is that gingivitis is both preventable and very treatable, with some pretty inexpensive treatments to boot. The flip side, though, is that gum disease can get worse over time if left undealt with – so if you’re worried you’ve got gingivitis, get ready to intervene!
Learn more: Periodontal treatment
What does gingivitis look like?
Gingivitis is fairly simple to spot. If you’ve got it, it might look like your gums are redder than normal, or are bleeding more frequently when you brush or floss.
Your gums might also appear ‘puffy’, as Healthify puts it, that is to say, a little swollen. This would likely feel tender to the touch, and a bit ouch if you accidentally knock the area with a toothbrush or some hard, spiky food.
Does gingivitis smell?
Yes, it can. Gingivitis, as you’ll read in a moment, is generally caused by a build-up of bacteria. This bacteria, when there’s enough of it in your mouth, can smell a bit rotten – leading to bad breath (aka halitosis).
Additionally, gingivitis can create pockets in your gums between the gumline and your teeth, where food can get trapped (called ‘periodontal pockets’). Here bacteria may also thrive, leading to the further development of bad breath - among other symptoms.
Is gingivitis serious?
Definitely. While mild inflammation may not be bad by itself, if left untreated gingivitis can develop into more advanced stages of gum disease, doing more damage in the process – some of which might be permanent (like losing teeth).
Gingivitis versus gum disease
We’ve swapped these two terms around a bit so far, and that’s because they’re basically one and the same.
Gingivitis is a form of mild gum disease. Gingivitis may also develop into periodontitis and advanced periodontitis, two later stages of gum disease.
Gingivitis versus periodontitis
Gingivitis is an early-stage gum disease which affects mainly the gums.
Periodontitis is a more advanced stage of gum disease, where infection has started to really take hold and can damage the bone and tissue surrounding (and anchoring) your teeth.
Often you will get gingivitis before periodontitis, but not always. We’ll cover periodontitis more later in this article!
What causes gingivitis? Common causes and risk factors
Causes of gingivitis
Gingivitis is typically caused by a build-up of bacteria in the mouth, which your body responds to by developing inflammation.
This bacteria (alongside other factors, like mucus and food particles) can cause a sticky film on your teeth which we call plaque. Plaque is that fuzzy feeling you sometimes get on your teeth when you haven’t brushed in a while, and it can irritate your gums leading to gingivitis symptoms.
If not dealt with, plaque can calcify (i.e. harden) into tartar, which further encourages the growth of bacteria and can lead to further damage. It generally takes one to three days for plaque to harden.
Risk factors leading to gingivitis
Poor brushing and flossing routine, leaving plaque to harden.
Brushing your teeth too hard, irritating or damaging your gums.
Crooked teeth which make it hard to brush certain spots.
Improperly fitted dentures.
Hormonal changes, such as pregnancy and puberty (or medication that impacts your hormones).
Certain diseases, such as diabetes or obesity.
Smoking, including both tobacco and cannabis.
Weakened immune system.
Dry mouth.
Older age.
Excessive consumption of alcohol, acids and sugars.
Not enough vitamin C.
Can gums recover from gingivitis?
Yes! Gingivitis, especially if you catch it early, may not lead to permanent damage. Inflammation, swelling and tenderness should generally go away with proper treatment, which we’ll describe below and much of which you can do at home.
How long before my gum disease goes away?
This depends highly on the condition of your mouth, your personal habits and the current state of your gum disease.
For some people with a relatively mild case of gingivitis, proper treatment should see symptoms start to wane and then go away within two weeks. For others, it can take a month or longer.
If you’re concerned about your own mouth and want a more accurate diagnosis, it’s best you go in and talk to your dentist.
What happens if I leave my gum disease too long?
Leaving gingivitis too long without treating it could allow it time to develop into periodontitis. Here, those mild symptoms may start to become more severe - even permanent.
It’s always best you intervene early if you’re worried about your mouth. Due to the propensity for some oral health conditions to leave lasting damage, it really is a ‘better safe than sorry’ kind of situation!
How to prevent gingivitis
1. Maintain good oral health habits
Simple oral health care typically goes a very long way to helping reduce the chance you’ll get gingivitis (or periodontitis). None of it’s too complicated, either! For most people, the basics really do work.
Some habits to consider include:
Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes at a time, making sure to get not just the fronts of the teeth but also the backs, gumline and chewing surfaces.
Consider flossing regularly, as much as daily.
Consider switching to a soft-bristled toothbrush, as medium or hard-bristle brushes can irritate and damage the gums.
Many dentists also recommend switching from a regular toothbrush to an electric one, if possible in your household.
Use a plaque-removing fluoride toothpaste.
Some dentists recommend the use of antibacterial mouthwash, but others don’t. It’s best you talk to your dentist to see if this is right for you.
Additionally, it’s recommended that you visit your dentist regularly for a check-up so they can keep an eye on your mouth, and the advancement of any issues. If they spot tartar, for example, they can organise a professional cleaning for you and get that removed - something very hard, and often impossible, to do at home.
Learn more: How to clean your gums and keep them healthy
2. Adjust your diet and lifestyle
A few simple diet and lifestyle adjustments can further decrease the risk you’ll develop gum disease (in addition to being pretty healthy choices overall!). They include:
Quitting smoking, including cannabis.
Limit your alcohol intake, as alcohol is an acid which can damage your enamel - and often contains sugar, which bacteria tends to love!
Limit your sugar intake too, especially between meals.
If you do consume acid or sugar, consider having a drink of water afterwards to rinse your mouth.
Eat a balanced, healthy diet, to make sure you get all the right vitamins and minerals.
Treating your gum disease
When to see a dentist
While gingivitis can often be treated fairly simply at home with good oral health care, a trip to the dentist will likely be in order if your symptoms aren’t going away or appear to be getting worse – or you’re worried and need a professional opinion.
Gingivitis often occurs slowly over time, making it tricky to spot and monitor. That said, if you experience any of the following then consider booking an appointment sooner than later to be doubly certain you’re OK:
Bleeding or pain in your gums gets worse over time, and lasts for more than a week
Toothache
Persistent bad breath
Jaw ache
Increased teeth sensitivity which doesn’t get better.
On top of that, if you’re a smoker, regular drinker, pregnant or going through hormonal treatment, or you meet any of the other risk factors listed above, consider visiting your dentist more regularly - as much as twice a year.
What to expect at the dentist
You’ll likely be checked over, asked about your medical history and given an x-ray, so your dentist can build an accurate picture as to the current state of your mouth. If you’ve been visiting regularly, this will also build on your past sessions helping your dentist track the condition of your mouth over time.
It may be that you require a professional clean, which a dental hygienist can perform and which would typically involve a clean, scale and polish.
Should any other treatment be required, your dentist will let you know.
Home-care remedies to help soothe gum disease symptoms
1. Salt water rinse
Rinsing the mouth with salt water is often recommended by dentists as an at-home care technique you can do easily, without much cost, which is believed to have both antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
To make your own salt water rinse, add half a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water and swish some of that around your mouth twice a day. Try not to make it too much saltier than this or it could irritate rather than help!
2. Hot or cold compress
You may find the use of a hot or cold compress soothing for an inflamed, tender or painful gum.
A hot compress can help ease aches and pains not associated with swelling and inflammation.
A cold compress can help soothe a tender, swollen gum, helping bring down some of the worst of the symptoms.
In either case, you wouldn’t apply it directly to your gums but rather the outside of your face.
3. Over-the-counter medication
In some cases, over-the-counter NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen can help with the symptoms of pain and inflammation. Additionally, some antibacterial and numbing gels are available at pharmacies and may aid with easing the pain of more severe gum disease.
That said, we’d always recommend you talk to a medical professional before starting any course of medication to ensure that it’s actually right for you.
Learn more about advanced gum disease: Periodontitis
Recap: What is periodontitis?
Periodontitis is a more advanced stage of gum disease, where the infection is starting to impact more than just your gums – it’s likely also getting into the bone, and potentially causing the recession of your gums.
Symptoms of periodontitis
Periodontal pockets
More tenderness in the gums
Teeth starting to get loose
Gaps opening up between teeth
Signs of infection such as pus between teeth
Bad breath.
Complications of advanced gum disease
If gum disease is allowed to advance to this stage, some of the complications can get, well, more complicated!
Leaving periodontitis alone could lead to:
More severe infection
Damage to teeth, requiring fillings and crowns, etc.
Tooth loss
Receded gums, possibly requiring surgery to fix.
Learn more: Periodontal treatment
Can you halt the advancement of gum disease at home?
Often, yes you can. Good oral health care will typically halt the march of gum disease in its tracks, and could lead to minor symptoms improving and going away entirely.
That said, if your gum disease has advanced past a certain stage leading to the formation of worse symptoms – infection, periodontal pockets, loose teeth, to name a few – then you’re likely better off going to the dentist for professional intervention. These may not be fixable at home on your own.
10 FAQs and common misconceptions about gum disease
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Yes, salt water can be used during the treatment of gum disease. While it’s not a treatment by itself, the antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties of a saltwater rinse are often recommended by dentists as a way to soothe symptoms and improve healing.
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Gingivitis can be painful, but it can also go unnoticed for long periods of time. Symptoms of gingivitis like swelling, tenderness and bleeding can be a bit painful for some people, especially if they don’t go away. Though for other people, gingivitis comes on so slowly they don’t notice until symptoms worsen.
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Drinking water regularly can indeed help gingivitis, though it’s not a treatment by itself.
Water has two benefits which can help during the recovery from gum disease:
Staying hydrated helps the body produce saliva, your natural defence against bacteria in the mouth.
Drinking water helps rinse your mouth, which can remove acid, sugar and food particles which may otherwise linger and cause damage
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Some dentists and health resources recommend the use of antiseptic mouthwashes to help fight bacteria in the mouth, which can cause gingivitis.
That said, not every dentist feels the same way and not all mouthwashes are made equally. It can be hard to tell in the supermarket what product will or won’t work, if they’ll work at all.
It’s better to talk to your dentist and find out what will work for your specific needs before making any purchases or changing your habits.
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Your gums may entirely go back to normal after recovering from gingivitis if the symptoms aren’t too bad. A bit of swelling, inflammation and bleeding will generally heal and go away if treated properly, leaving no permanent damage behind.
That said, if your gum disease symptoms worsen then there may be a lasting impact. Receded gums, damaged teeth and other similar symptoms may not heal properly, requiring surgery to fix or remediate.
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Studies do suggest that chronic stress can “negatively impact” periodontal tissue, that is to say, it can harm your mouth.
For example, one review found a connection between stress and a variety of issues, for example alteration to your saliva, changes to blood circulation and influencing the immune system. That same paper also spoke about how stress indirectly impacts oral health by changing how we behave – not looking after ourselves properly.
So, it would be wrong to say that stress causes gingivitis, but it may be a strong factor for some people. It’s usually well worth mentioning to your dentist if you’ve been experiencing a lot of stress, in case it helps with your diagnosis.
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Sometimes you can, yes, but generally only if you catch it early.
Mild gum disease can typically be treated with improvements to good oral care and diet, like brushing regularly, using a good brush, limiting the intake of unhealthy food and drink, and so on.
That said, tartar is very hard to remove at home so if you develop hard tartar in your mouth, you may require professional cleaning to get it off again. Your dentist can advise on this when you pop in.
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Bad breath may not mean you have gum disease, though it is a common symptom of infection in the mouth.
We can get bad breath for all sorts of reasons, which may be as innocent as simply eating certain particularly ‘smelly’ foods on a regular basis. Where your bad breath seems to have become chronic, however, may be a sign that something else is going on - especially if it’s paired with other symptoms, like redness or bleeding.
In these cases, a trip to the dentist will help you clarify.
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Gum disease and advanced gum disease primarily impact the mouth and jaw, but there is a connection between periodontal issues and other health conditions.
Oral health is associated with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, according to the CDC. There are also links with adverse pregnancy outcomes and osteoporosis (source), and some connections to different cancers (source).
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No – in fact, brushing and flossing regularly is one way to help your gums build resilience to bleeding in future.
If you notice bleeding while brushing or flossing, what you may wish to consider doing instead is:
— Brushing/flossing more gently, especially in the tender area.
— Switching to a soft-bristled brush.
Should your bleeding continue for more than a week, or you notice other symptoms like swelling, inflammation or chronic bad breath, consider seeing your dentist to get checked for gum disease.
Worried at all? Talk to your dentist today
If at any point you get a little worried about your mouth, it’s probably best to go and see your dentist.
Book an appointment here at Kowhai Dental by popping in to see us on Maunu Road in Whangārei, calling 09 430 0707 or booking online.