Symptoms of gum disease (gingivitis): expert tips on how to treat them
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Gums do an important job of protecting your teeth and when they aren’t healthy, it can lead to irreversible damage of your teeth and affect your general wellbeing.



In this post, I’ll tell you how to identify the symptoms of gum disease and share my expert tips on how you can treat them.

The commonly used term ‘gingivitis’ is the early stage of gum disease and actually means inflammation of the gums. Whereas periodontitis is the term used for gum disease. Gingivitis can sometimes progress to periodontitis, and normally starts with bacteria and plaque build up between the teeth in areas that haven’t been cleaned properly.

This more harmful later stage is when irreversible damage has been caused to the bone and tissue, causing tooth loss and problems for your overall health.

What are the symptoms of gum disease?

-Bleeding gums, especially when brushing teeth or flossing
-Bad breath (halitosis)
-Redness and swelling of the gums
-Loose teeth
-Gums coming away from the teeth

How to treat gingivitis

The only solution (and it’s a simple one!) to preventing these two conditions is to have a consistent and thorough teeth cleaning routine.

There really is no way around it.

We consume food and drink all day, every day, and the residue gets stuck between our teeth. This then turns into plaque and tartar which cause serious oral health conditions like gum disease.

The good news is that with a bit of persistence, you can not only prevent gingivitis and periodontitis, you can also eliminate bad breath and get a beautiful smile.

So it’s worth the effort! Especially if you want to improve your social interactions by having more confidence.

Here are my expert tips on how you should clean your teeth properly:

1. Start with getting a professional clean from your dentist

This will help eliminate any existing plaque or tartar that needs a bit more work to get rid of than brushing or flossing

 
2. Use interdental brushes to clean in between your teeth

Recent studies show that interdental brushes are way better at cleaning the space between your teeth compared with flossing

 
3. Clean twice a day, in the morning and evening                                                                                                                           

Brush for 2 minutes after breakfast and before bed for the best results

 
4. Scrape the white stuff off your tongue at night                                                                                                                           

White tongue affects many of my patients and I recommend using a tongue scraper to get rid of the bacteria build up that, amongst other things, can cause gum diseas

5. Finish your nightly routine with mouthwash

swill for 60 seconds at the end of your routine



If you follow the oral hygiene routine above (which I advocate to all my patients!), your mouth will be healthy. This will give you fresh breath, a beautiful smile and help to prevent harmful conditions like gum disease.

It takes persistence. But don’t worry. Biteaway is totally here to support you!



Read our blog for more oral hygiene tips and advice.

xoxo Nora

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