Gingivitis and Tips to Help You Deal with It

It’s no secret that it isn’t brushing your teeth too hard that causes your gums to bleed. It’s gingivitis.

The staff at Little Heroes Pediatric Dentistry knows that a number of other oral health care issues tend to sit higher on people’s list of dental concerns. While worrying about cavities, damaged or crooked teeth, and a white smile, gingivitis can, unfortunately, be overlooked.

A Little Bit About Gingivitis

While gingivitis can lead to further complications, the most commonly noted issue is periodontitis. This word is the term for a set of inflammatory diseases that affect the tissue around a person’s teeth. Ultimately, if someone doesn’t get treatment for periodontitis, they can lose teeth.

Institutions like the Center for Disease Control have evidence that gingivitis can also affect more than just a person’s dental health. With it comes an increased risk of complications like lung disease and diabetes, as well as heart attacks. Even pregnant women run a higher chance of delivering prematurely if they have severe gingivitis.

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Poor oral hygiene and the subsequent buildup of plaque leads to gingivitis. However, there are a number of other potential reasons that gingivitis becomes an issue. Some factors, like age, genetics, and certain necessary medications, can’t be avoided.

To decrease your chances of developing gingivitis, it is highly recommended to avoid smoking too much and overusing tobacco. A good diet can also limit the likelihood of trouble with gingivitis.

In general, the habits that are good for overall dental health should be followed to prevent and treat gingivitis.

Practices like brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing combat the spread of gingivitis. It is also important to have regular check-ups with your dentist.

Sometimes, though, you can take care of your mouth and teeth and still struggle with the issue. If you find that you are following a good oral health routine, but still having trouble with gingivitis, you might want to consider a few of the following additional measures.

1. Add a little salt.  

Salt offers more than just extra flavor to your food. It is great for stopping the growth of bacteria in the mouth. The antiseptic properties salt contains draw infections out as well.

To add it to your dental cleaning routine, mix half a teaspoon of salt with lukewarm water. Rinse your mouth in the morning and at night with this solution, until you see the swelling in your gums go down.

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If you are feeling more adventurous, you can mix salt with mustard oil until you have a paste. Once you get the concoction prepared, massage your gums in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes, 2-3 times a day, making sure to rinse your mouth out with warm water afterward. Doing this for a few days should lead to improvement with your gingivitis problem.

2. Try a little baking soda to stay fresh.

Baking soda does an excellent job of keeping things clean. You can find it in everything from your antiperspirant deodorant to traps for those nasty cockroaches. It is also a very popular home remedy for a mouth that needs some cleaning.

This do-it-all compound helps fight gingivitis by neutralizing acids and reducing your chances of tooth decay. It fights off infections with the antiseptic properties it naturally contains.

To take advantage of its cleaning prowess, mix ¼ teaspoon with warm water to make a paste and apply this to your gums. After a minute or two, rinse it off. Unlike other methods, you only have to do this two to three times a week.

3. Lemons don’t just make lemonade.

Lemon juice can do more than make your taste buds tingle. The vitamin C found inside can ward off infection. Also, the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties lemons have help to fight off gum disease.

You want that on your side when fighting gingivitis, and you can get it by making your own mouthwash with lemon juice and warm water. All you have to do is take one glass of warm water and squeeze the juice from one lemon into the water.  Rinse and spit it out. You can use this homemade remedy two times a day.

Another option is to make a paste using a little bit of salt mixed with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Apply this paste to your gums and then rinse it off after a few minutes with some warm water. This version can be used four or five times a day until you see results.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. All it takes is a little research and willingness to try something new, and you can be on your way to a gingivitis free mouth. For instance, did you know the pulp of the aloe vera plant possesses the ability to help fight against gingivitis as well? Even a paste of turmeric and an herbal mouthwash that contains sage or rosemary can help boost your battle.

Let Little Heroes and Heroes Dental help you with all of your family’s dental health care issues.

Gingivitis is not something that anybody needs to fear, but it’s also not something anyone should ignore. The tools exist to fight it before it becomes or causes something more serious.

As always, your dental team at Little Heroes Pediatric Dentistry is here to be a part of your dental health routine. Contact us at any of our three locations in Laredo, Mission, or San Juan to schedule a checkup.