Gingivitis Definition
Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums, the soft tissue that surrounds the teeth. Gums are one of the components of the periodontal tissue. Periodontal tissue itself is a supporting and supporting tissue for teeth consisting of the gingiva or gums, the periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone.
Healthy gums are pink, don’t bleed easily, and have a chewy texture. While the gums are inflamed or gingivitis will look redder than the surrounding area, swollen, and often bleed when brushing your teeth.
Gingivitis Reason
The process of gingivitis usually begins with the formation of dental plaque. Dental plaque is a thin, transparent layer on the surface of your teeth that comes from saliva that forms just after you brush your teeth. In this layer, a number of bacteria in the mouth will stick. The nature of the attached bacteria is normal. However, plaque that is not cleaned properly will harden and become tartar/calculus.
Calculus is divided into two types, namely calculus that grows above the gums and calculus that grows into the gums. Usually, calculus will appear in areas that are difficult to clean. For example, in the gap between the tooth and the neck of the tooth, which is the border between the gum and the tooth. This situation causes the gums around the teeth to become more susceptible to inflammation, resulting in inflammation of the gums/gingivitis.
Gingivitis Symptoms
In gingivitis or gingivitis, usually the sufferer does not feel pain or pain. But the gums will feel itchy and there is a sense of wanting to suck on the gums. At that time, the possibility of the state of the gums are easy to bleed.
Unfortunately, these signs are often taken for granted and ignored by many people. Not a few patients who only know of damage or inflammation of the gums when it is in an advanced state and difficult to cure. Sometimes gingivitis can not be cured 100% and quite a lot of people with gingivitis who recur or recur.
Gingivitis Diagnosis
The condition of gingivitis can be detected immediately when the doctor performs a dental and oral examination. Investigations are usually not required unless the patient has other complaints.
Gingivitis Treatment
To treat mild gingivitis, the doctor will clean the tartar. Tartar cleaning can be done by a general dentist or a dental clinic dentist.
The tools used can be manually or by using an ultrasonic device called a scaler. The scaler works by ultrasonic vibration. The tip is slightly pointed so that it can break down tartar into hard-to-reach places, including tartar that grows under the gums.
With the right technique, the use of a scaler is quite safe for the tooth surface and roots. The doctor will be careful on the surface of the tooth that is already damaged.
After the tartar is cleaned, gingivitis will be treated with a mouthwash containing 0.2% Chlorhexidine for one week. This step will inhibit the growth of dental plaque and accelerate the healing of gingivitis.
Usually, within a week the gums are no longer bleeding. If there are some parts of the gums that are still bleeding, it means that the inflammation of the gums in that area is more severe, so additional treatment is needed.
Additional treatment needed in cases of severe gingivitis is root planing or root smoothing and gum curettage. In severe cases of gingivitis, usually a gap will form between the gum line and the tooth called a gum pocket. An inflamed gum pocket will usually form a pocket. In severe gingivitis, the pocket can reach a depth of 4–6 mm.
Root planning is done using a special tool for gum curettage. The goal is to clean the buildup of tartar that grows into the pocket and sticks to some of the roots of the teeth.
In this action, people with gingivitis will not feel pain or pain. It’s just that there will be a feeling like being scratched on the teeth and blood clots will come out when the gum pocket is scraped.
Next, the dentist will rinse the pocket area with a 3% H2O2 solution. This solution will foam up and carry germs out of deep pockets that are inaccessible with a gum curette.
If left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis or inflammation of the bone that supports the teeth. This can cause the teeth to loosen and fall off on their own. However, not every gingivitis develops into periodontitis.
Gingivitis Prevention
In order to avoid gingivitis, it is recommended that you keep the tartar from accumulating quickly. Tartar can not be prevented from coming back. The thing that can be done so that tartar does not form quickly is to reduce the accumulation of dental plaque.
Clean your teeth by brushing your teeth 2 times a day, in the morning after breakfast and at night before going to bed. Brush your teeth with the correct technique. Also, do regular dental check-ups every six months even if there are no complaints. Use the time of the visit at the same time to do tartar cleaning. According to Osmosis Gingivitis and periodontitis – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology