Gingivitis- Very common in London.
Most of us, at least once in our lifetime would have experienced bleeding while brushing. Don’t worry, you are just one among millions who are affected with this extremely common disease, particularly those living in London. This is the commonest gum disease affecting all age groups irrespective of their gender or general health condition and the easiest one to cure, if properly taken care of. Gingivitis is the inflammation of gums that generally presents with soft puffy gums bleeding easily on slightest pressure. If you examine a healthy gum, it has a pale pink appearance and is firm to touch. Hence, if you experience any such symptoms, don’t hesitate to visit your dentist as soon as possible; because if not treated, this early stage can progress to more complicated other conditions such as periodontitis, abscess in teeth, loss of teeth, etc. Gingivitis can develop without you being noticing any of the symptoms because in early-stage, the disease is painless. The condition is caused by multiplication of bacteria, which colonise in between the gums and teeth. The forerunner of all gum diseases is formation of plaque that develops on the gumline of your teeth as a sticky thin coating. This coating is formed from the interaction between oral bacteria and sugars and starch in food. When we brush our teeth, it is removed but forms again and if it stays there for long, develops into tartar, which is much harder and are not removed by brushing or flossing. So the important thing we have to remember is the regular cleaning or brushing after each meal if possible or at least twice daily. Though plaques are the major cause of gingivitis by acting as the reservoir of bacteria, there are some other causes too. They are other health conditions such as leukaemia autoimmune diseases, pemphigus, diabetes, etc., use of some drugs such as antidepressants, antiseizure medications, and immunosuppressants, and smoking tobacco are some to mention. Sometimes viruses or fungi can also cause this condition. Hormone changes have some effect in producing this condition. Nutritional status of an individual has a major role to play in maintaining the health of the gums. Therefore, you have to ensure an adequate intake of vitamin B, C, and D while undergoing treatment for gum diseases.
People of London are health conscious and do give importance to health checkups, but when it comes to minor dental problems, we just don’t remember to keep our appointment with our dentist. So, don’t wait for a bloody spongy gum to remind us of our next appointment to professionally clean our teeth, free of plaques and tartar.
