Gingivitis and periodontitis are words that you will often come across when learning more about oral health and gum disease. The former almost always precedes the latter. If you have gingivitis and you don’t treat it, it will advance to periodontitis, a serious version of gum disease. When you understand these two oral conditions and how they manifest, you are able to prevent them and get timely treatment whenever they occur. So, what is the difference between the two?Gingivitis vs. Periodontitis
Gingivitis is simply gum inflammation and occurs before periodontitis, the leading cause of loss of tooth in adults. Patients who have gingivitis, if they seek treatment and maintain proper oral hygiene, can stop the infection. Luckily, not all gingivitis cases advance to periodontitis. Often, the major difference between periodontitis and gingivitis is that the latter is reversible, but the former, referring to periodontitis, is not.
Gingivitis
During the initial stages of gingivitis, you will have plaque and bacteria accumulating between your teeth. Your gums will be inflamed and start bleeding when brushing. During this time, your teeth are firmly planted, although the gums are irritated. Signs of gingivitis are tender, red, swollen gums that bleed easily while brushing the teeth. At this stage, there is no irreversible bone damage yet. Gingivitis is considered the mildest version of gum disease. Good oral hygiene habits such as regular dental checkups, brushing twice a day, and flossing once a day, in addition to the use of mouthwash are able to prevent or reverse gingivitis.
Periodontitis
Gingivitis, when not treated, will eventually progress to periodontitis. In periodontitis, the inner layer of your gums, as well as the bone, start pulling away from your teeth, forming dental pockets. The small spaces forming between the gums and teeth will collect and harbor debris and bacteria. Although the immune system will try to fight the bacteria, the toxins that the bacteria in plaque produce, work with the enzymes of the body that fight infection, to break down and weaken your bone and the connective tissue holding the teeth in place. As a result, the pockets deepen, and the bone and gum tissue are destroyed. When this happens, we call it aggressive periodontitis, and at this stage, the teeth are not anchored in place; they are loose. What follows is tooth loss.
Now that you know what gingivitis is and how it differs from periodontitis, why not seek treatment early enough at our dental office? Visit us today.
