Gingivitis - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Gingivitis (from the Latin. gingiva - gingiva) - an inflammatory disease of gum tissue, accompanied, as a rule, by constant bad breath, as well as soreness and bleeding gums. This is a very common disease, which affects about 50% of patients visiting the clinic.

According to the degree of spreading, gingivitis is divided into a local one - a lesion of one papilla of the gum or a part of it that is between two teeth (to denote this pathologies sometimes use a separate term papillitis), and common - affecting most of the gum, up to the entire jaw or half of it.

In this article we will consider what is gingivitis, its symptoms and detailed photos, as well as modern methods of treatment and prevention.

Causes

Why does gingivitis occur, and what is it? It is worth noting that the causes of gingivitis can be very different, including internal and external factors affecting the development of the disease.

Internal factors include:

teething wisdom teeth;
lack of vitamins and trace elements;
metabolic disorders;

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weakened immunity;
diabetes;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
stress and mental disorders, etc.

External factors include:

trauma and burns of the mucosa;
fillings, braces, veneers that were improperly installed and injure the tissues of the oral cavity;
smoking;
oral breathing, which is a consequence of chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, polyps in the nose, or just a bad habit;
inadequate oral hygiene (the most common cause of gingivitis in adults, leading to congestion dental plaque, and hence microorganisms that release toxins and contribute to the onset of inflammation);
infectious process in the oral cavity.

The main cause of gingivitis lies in unscrupulous dental care, which can lead to the formation of dental plaques (as evidenced by gingivitis in the photo in its classic manifestation).

In the diagnosis of gingivitis, the doctor must be very careful - perhaps he is a symptom of some other disease - for example, the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, infectious and viral diseases, heart and vascular diseases, liver, hematopoietic organs, changes in the hormonal background.

Classification

The symptomatology of this disease in children and adults is determined by the form in which it occurs. There are several forms of gingivitis, which require slightly different approaches to treatment:

Ulcerative (necrotic) gingivitis- inflammation of the gums with a predominance of the pathological changes in the periodontal tissues. In addition to the classic symptoms for ulcerative gingivitis is characterized by an increase in body temperature, headaches, enlarged lymph nodes. Delayed treatment of ulcerative gingivitis is fraught with the spread of necrotic process on the mucous membrane of the cheeks and tonsils. In some cases, ulcerative gingivitis can also cause one of the earliest signs of a blood disease.
Gingivitis catarrhal chronic. The disease often occurs without pronounced subjective sensations, but sometimes patients complain of bleeding gums when brushing their teeth or eating solid foods. At inspection find out a hyperemia and an edema of an interdental papillae and a gingival edge losing its natural pattern (felonhood disappears). Instrumental examination reveals bleeding gums, plentiful soft dental plaque and foci of subgingival calculus, absence of pathological dentogingival pockets.
Hypertrophic gingivitis. This kind of gingivitis is accompanied by very severe pain of the gums, itching of the papillae, considerable bleeding, significant edema and an increase in the volume of the gums, which can partially cover the dental crowns from the outside. The gums with this kind of gingivitis do not become loose - it is hard, and underneath it there is a tartar, which provokes further inflammation and development of gingivitis. Hypertrophic gingivitis can cause instability of the dentition and tooth movements.
Atrophic gingivitismay be the result of improper treatment of acute gingivitis. It is characterized by a minimal presence of inflammatory phenomena and a rapidly emerging atrophic process with a gradual exposure of the neck of the tooth. It is more common in children.

In the course of the current, gingivitis is divided into acute, chronic and exacerbated.

Acute formcharacterized by severe clinical symptoms, a sharp deterioration in the patient's well-being and rapid treatment for his medical help.
For the chronic formcharacterized by a lingering prolonged course, when there is no sharp violation of digestive, verbal and other functions of the mouth.
Exacerbated is the form of chronic courseI, when the sluggish course of the disease worsens with the appearance of all the classic signs of acute gingivitis.

Depending on the course of the disease, appropriate treatment is carried out, which can consist both in professional cleaning of the oral cavity and in the surgical method of treatment.

Symptoms of gingivitis

When gingivitis occurs in adults, the main symptoms are reddening of the gums, swelling, pain of varying intensity, increased sensitivity and irritability of the mucosa, changes in the gingival contour.

When the inflammation develops, the gum furrow shifts inwards, forming a gingival pocket. This increases the sensitivity of the gums, there is soreness. The gums look irritated, the edge of it is red. After the appearance of bleeding, the patient becomes difficult to chew food and swallow it.

An unpleasant odor from the mouth is another frequent companion of gingivitis, which sometimes acts as the reason for the initial call to the doctor. Also, a very common complaint is the distortion of taste, the appearance of a metallic, brackish aftertaste.

For ulcerative necrotic formGingivitis is characterized by the following symptoms:

the mucous membrane is covered with ulcers;
subsequently, necrosis areas appear;
The mucosa is markedly painful;
there is an unpleasant smell from the mouth;
the general condition deteriorates;
patients feel weakness, loss of strength;
in some cases, an increase in body temperature (it can reach 39 degrees) is recorded;
the lymph nodes are enlarged.

A few words should be said about the symptoms of the more rare forms of gingivitis. So the formation of small bubbles on the gums, which interfere with food, is characteristic of bullous gingivitis. Opening of the interdental spaces, denudation of the neck of the tooth occurs with atrophic gingivitis. At the same time, painful sensations and bleeding may not be observed.

It should be noted that gingivitis can be not only an independent disease, but a symptom of deeper tissue damage, for example, periodontitis or periodontitis. In this case, gingivitis will only occur with complete cure of all peri-toothed tissues.

Gingivitis: photos

How does giggitis look like in adults and children? We offer detailed photos, which show the characteristic symptoms of the disease.

Diagnostics

Setting the right diagnosis is very important. Under the symptoms of gingivitis, serious diseases of the oral cavity can disappear (for example, periodontitis, periodontitis). The diagnosis is made by the doctor-periodontist, taking into account the patient's complaints, the results of the examination, the laboratory tests and functional tests.

Gingivitis in children, adults differs from other diseases in that inflammation affects only the gum. Bone tissue, muscle ligaments do not change.

How to treat gingivitis

When gingivitis occurs, treatment involves several stages and is performed at the dentist. To cure gingivitis, you must remember the three main rules of his treatment:

A complex approach. When treating any form of the disease, it is necessary to use both local and general therapy. It is necessary to treat not only the symptoms, but also to eliminate the causes of the disease.
Individual approach. Correctly selected treatment must necessarily take into account all the accompanying factors of the disease, the health and immune system of the patient.
Systematicity. If the disease has passed into a chronic form, then the treatment needs to be systematized in order to bring it into a stable remission.

Therapy is slightly different depending on the form of the disease, but the treatment of any gingivitis must begin with the elimination of foci of infection in the oral cavity (caries treatment) and the removal of hard dental deposits. These procedures can be performed only by a dentist, do not try to remove the tartar at home by any popular methods. It can only injure inflamed gums and aggravate the pathological process.

Often, gingivitis indicates a decrease in the defenses of the body. Therefore, in addition to eliminating the inflammatory process, treatment should also be aimed at increasing the overall protective functions of the body. In this case, the appointment of immunocorrectors is justified. Preparations of this group activate the protective forces of the oral mucosa.

The prognosis for gingivitis is favorable, but in the absence of treatment the process can go into a deep form - develop periodontal disease, in which tooth loss can occur.

Prevention

For effective prevention of gingivitis, you should regularly brush your teeth in the morning (after breakfast) and in the evening (before bedtime). The most effective toothbrushes are medium hardness, since soft teeth do not clean teeth properly, and hard ones can injure the gum. It is desirable after each meal to use dental floss to remove food debris from the interdental spaces or carefully rinse the oral cavity with water.

Timely (at least every 6 months) a visit to the dentist will minimize the risk of gingivitis. With a tendency to form a tartar, a doctor regularly performs full cleaning of teeth from plaque.