Gums are the area surrounding your teeth and there are thousands of reasons for getting infected on your gums. Our mouth is always filled with bacteria which lie with mucus and food particles. They would form a sticky substance called “plaque” on your teeth causing gum infection. Plaque can easily be removed by proper brushing techniques and flossing but if it is not removed, it would become hard and become “tartar” which can be removed only by dentist using expert tools.
You will get more gum infection if you leave the plaque like particles on your teeth. Eventually gums will develop swelling that causes a condition called “gingivitis”. They turn red in color and would start bleeding due to inflammation. Gingivitis can be cured completely by proper brushing and flossing daily or taking care from a dentist.
Periodontitis is the term given to the advance form of gingivitis in which gums recede away from the teeth creating more spaces giving room for bacteria. This condition will weaken the immune system and affect the bones and tissue if not treated for long, eventually leading to the removal of your teeth.
Causes :
Primarily, the main cause for gum infection is not brushing properly. Smoking affects your teeth and gums badly leading to development of plaque. Chronic illness like Blood Pressure and diabetes can cause gum infection. Women who are in the menstrual cycle may get infected on their gums due to hormonal changes. People who have history of autoimmune disorder are at the risk of getting gum infection.
Certain medicines given for anxiety and Depression can control the normal flow of saliva leading to infection on your gums. There are countless over the counter drugs that can affect the gum tissue causing gum infection. It would also cause abnormal growth of the surrounding tissues of gum making it difficult to treat them.
For some people, gum infection can occur due to genetic predisposition
Symptoms :
The following are some of the signs indicating gum infection. Bleeding of gums, bad breath, swollen gums, red colored gums, and pain during swallowing, tender gums, loose or sensitive teeth and receding gums are some of the major symptoms.
The symptoms depend on the nature of infection and not a person will have all the above signs during infection.
Pictures of Gum Infection
Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Gum Infection
Treatment :
The method of treatment may be broadly divided into surgical and non-surgical.
Your dentist would remove all the plaque content from the gums that have been formed due to hardening of particles. Professional cleaning is necessary using dental tools for curing gum infection. Scaling is another procedure done by giving local anesthesia wherein your dentist will remove tarter and plaque from the gums through scaling process. He would gently remove all the unwanted particles that give room for bacteria and clean the gums thoroughly.
Surgical treatment includes flap surgery, bone grafting, and soft tissue grafting and bone surgery.
During flap surgery, the gums are flapped upward for removing tartar and in this procedure irregular tissues are also corrected. In bone grafting process, the dentist uses your own bone for replacing the bones damaged by gum infection.
Depending on the intensity of infection and health condition of the person, the therapy will be modified accordingly.
