Like it or not, everyone’s mouth is full of bacteria. While most oral bacteria are benign or even helpful, poor oral hygiene or certain health conditions can make you more susceptible to an overgrowth of bacteria on the gums, otherwise known as gingivitis. The good news is that if caught early, gingivitis treatment can be painless, non-invasive, and highly effective. Let’s dive into what that looks like, along with factors that could help you make a speedier recovery.
How Long Does It Take Gingivitis Treatment to Work?
Before we answer that critical question, it’s important to realize that gingivitis is what doctors call a spectrum disease, otherwise known as a progressive disease. That means that recovery time is directly tied to how quickly the disease is diagnosed since it will get worse over time without proper intervention.
Ideally, the disease will be caught before it leads to periodontitis, which is when bacteria move from attacking the gums (gingivitis) to attacking teeth by the root (periodontitis), often leading to a loosening of teeth from the jaw bed.
The good news is that most uncomplicated cases of gingivitis if caught early, can be resolved non-invasively and quickly. A typical recovery timeline is on the order of a few days or a few weeks. However, there are a lot of factors that can impact how quickly you recover from gingivitis.
What Will My Dentist Do for Gingivitis?
The treatment for your gingivitis will depend on the extent of the disease but may include some or all of the following:
Inspection, Cleaning, Imaging
Your dental health team will review your health history and get a good look inside your mouth to visually inspect the problem. Because bacteria cling to rough surfaces more easily than smooth ones, they’ll also clean your teeth, using a process called scaling and root planing to physically scrape off the plaque, tartar, and bacterial products.
Dental Repairs
Bacteria love to hide in crooked or broken teeth and improperly fitted crowns, implants, and bridges. After a thorough cleaning, your dentist may recommend one or more procedures to make your mouth a less habitable environment for the bacteria that cause gingivitis, helping to speed treatment.
Oral Hygiene Review
While your dentist may see you and your teeth only a handful of times a year, you live with them every day, making you the most important member of your oral care team. Your dentist will go over proper oral care with you, including recommended brushing and flossing schedules, whether or not to use an antibacterial mouthwash, and what products you should be using to manage your specific oral care needs.
Surgery (If Needed)
The vast majority of gingivitis cases do not require surgery. However, if correcting one or more dental issues contributing to gingivitis will require a deeper intervention or your dentist suspects the infection has gone below the level of the gum line and progressed to periodontitis, they may need to cut open the inflamed gum to clean the root of the tooth. Your dentist will go over options, benefits, and expenses if this is the case.
Factors That Speed Up Gingivitis Treatment
Early Diagnosis and Yearly Cleanings
Because gingivitis is a progressive disease, the more quickly you are diagnosed, the more quickly treatment can begin. This is one of the many reasons that regular oral health checkups and dental cleanings are so important, as they allow your oral health team to diagnose and treat conditions before they progress, minimizing damage to your teeth and overall health. Yearly cleanings help to smooth the surface of your teeth, making it difficult for bacteria to stick where they shouldn’t be, helping prevent gingivitis buildup in the first place.
Proper Oral Hygiene
Maintaining proper oral hygiene at home can speed up your recovery process. The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth twice a day, along with a daily flossing regimen to remove plaque, tartar, and any bits of food that may escape brushing. If gingivitis is diagnosed or suspected, adding an antibacterial mouthwash is an excellent idea to help manage bacterial populations.
Timely Intervention
Early intervention has a host of benefits in the treatment of gingivitis, both in limiting the extent and progress of the disease and in making treatment easier for the patient. Be sure to schedule annual check-ups and cleanings, and book an appointment early if you suspect you may have some gingivitis.
Things That May Make Gingivitis Treatment Take Longer
Extent of the Condition
Your individualized treatment plan is based on the condition of the disease at the time of diagnosis. That means that if there’s a significant delay between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of the problem, it can take longer to reverse the disease, as the condition itself is more advanced. While gum disease is often painless, making regular dental checkups and cleanings crucial for maintaining health. However, you should contact your dentist immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Red, swollen, or bleeding gums
- Sore or painful gums, especially while chewing
- Sensitive teeth, especially to hot or cold food
- Chronic bad breath (that doesn’t go away when you brush your teeth)
Health Conditions
Certain health conditions can extend treatment times, especially those that impact the immune system. Since gingivitis is inherently a bacterial overgrowth, anything that changes the body’s ability to fight infection will impact your treatment timeline, too.
Certain Medications
Some medications can make it more difficult to recover from gingivitis, even if the reason you’re taking the medication has nothing to do with oral health. That’s because your body’s ability to fight bacteria is influenced by several different factors. It’s important to review any medication you may be taking with your dentist to spot anything that might interfere with your recovery.
Behavioral Decisions
While your dentist can diagnose your gingivitis and begin the process of helping you recover from it, the daily work of fighting for oral health remains yours. While some decisions, like how often to brush your teeth or how regularly you floss, have an obvious impact on oral health, other decisions are less apparent in their impact. Here are some decisions we’ve unfortunately seen patients make that may extend the time it takes to beat gingivitis:
- Choosing not to quit using tobacco products (smoked or chewed)
- Choosing not to brush your teeth twice per day
- Choosing not to floss daily
- Choosing to put off routine dental care
- Choosing to consume food and beverages with too much sugar or alcohol
- Choosing not to take medication related to care of diabetes or other health issues
The excellent thing about treating gingivitis is that the patient is in the driver’s seat. You get to take control over your recovery by making strong decisions that can speed your progress, like stepping up your mouth care game and proactively managing your oral health.
Are You In Need Of Gingivitis Treatment In The Martinsburg Area?
If you are in need of gingivitis treatment you owe it to yourself to speak with an experienced dentist as soon as possible. Please feel free to contact us online or call our Martinsburg, West Virginia dental office directly at 304.267.6059 to schedule your appointment. We provide a wide range of general dentistry care as well as more involved dentistry services for patients throughout the Martinsburg area and look forward to you joining the Cornerstone Dental family.
