Gum disease (Gingivitis vs Periodontal Disease)

Gingivitis is inflammation around the gums caused by a chronic accumulation of plaque around the interface between the teeth and gums. Plaque is a mixture of bacteria, food debris and salivary molecules.

Gingivitis manifests as redness around the gums disease and mostly painless inflammation. The only sign that something is wrong is usually bleeding when brushing or flossing. A lot of patients don’t even get those symptoms so are blissfully unaware that they have any problem. Gingivitis DOES NOT result in the loss of bone support around teeth. This is an important fact to keep in mind for the later part of the discussion.

Gingivitis affects over 98% of the population at any given time. Gingivitis has a degree of affectation i.e. some areas of the mouth may have gingivitis and other areas may have no problems.

Prevention of gingivitis is through brushing twice a day, flossing once a day and the use of antiseptic mouthrinses i.e. Listerine/Colgate Plax. Regular dentist/hygiene appointments every 6 months are also important as we need to access hard to reach areas i.e. between teeth and areas below the gum to clean all the plaque and to prevent gingivitis from getting worse.

When gingivitis becomes chronic in nature as is present for long enough, the real worry is that gingivitis will progress to periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is the development of the chronic inflammation into a persistent condition in which bone starts being eroded around the teeth roots. If enough bone is lost, the teeth may become loose, pain with the development of gum abscesses may occur with the eventual “falling out” of teeth.

Call us today to book a consultation to have your gums assessed. Depending on how much time and how much gum disease is present, we may even be able to give you a clean on the day.