How To Prevent And Treat Gingivitis
Fortunately, gingivitis is relatively easy to treat if you identify it early. The treatment starts with a trip to your dentist or dental hygienist for a thorough professional cleaning to remove tartar and plaque. Tartar is a hard substance that coats the teeth when plaque builds up over time.
This thorough cleaning process at your dentist’s office, known as scaling, might be uncomfortable if your gums are sensitive, so be sure that you talk to your dentist or dental hygienist if you are nervous and he or she may have suggestions to make the process as stress-free as possible.
After a professional cleaning to remove the tartar and plaque, your gums may be sensitive for a few days, but you should notice improvement soon. Specialty flosses are available for sensitive gums (and also for cleaning around dental work and appliances). You need to maintain oral health with a healthy routine of twice-daily tooth brushing and daily flossing to help prevent gingivitis from recurring by removing plaque. Your dentist or dental hygienist may recommend more frequent tooth brushing (after every meal or snack) at least until your gums appear to be normal and healthy, before settling into a twice-daily brushing and daily flossing routine. Your dentist also may suggest an antiseptic rinse to help control bacteria.
In addition, misaligned teeth or dental crowns and bridges that are worn or poorly fitted can promote gum disease, so you may want to consider fixing these problems by working with your dentist and possibly an orthodontist or oral surgeon.