Gingivitis

What is gingivitis?

       It is the inflammation of the gingiva( membrane which covers the tooth )

 What are the symptoms?

         Swelling, redness, bleeding, bad breath, pain, recession (level of attachment of gingiva decreases).

Causes : 

     Local factors responsible for gingivitis are 

                 Trauma, calculus and plaque( yellowish deposits around the tooth margin), aggressive tooth brushing, smoking ,using tobacco products and poor oral hygiene.

     Systemic factors i.e any diseases in the body can induce gingivitis in the mouth. They are

                 Diabetes, pregnancy period, nutritional deficiencies especially vitamin c, some medicines and other chronic systemic diseases.

Things to do:  . 

•  Immediate clinical attention - in case , because of local factors like calculus or plaque , scaling should be done
•  Avoid smoking and tobacco products
• Maintain Good oral hygiene.
• Follow medicaments and oral hygiene techniques prescribed by the dentist.

If left untreated , it may lead to 

•   Periodontitis ( gingival recession and loosening ot tooth)
•   Malocclusion 
•   Tooth loss .