Fight Gingivitis!

Do you have bleeding gums when you brush or floss your teeth? Do you see redness and puffiness in your gums? Or do you experience a bad taste in your mouth as a result of food being rotten deep in the gingival pockets?
If you show these symptoms, you probably have gingivitis. This oral disease is not as scary as it sounds. In fact it is one of the most common dental complications people get. Gingivitis usually clears up after a thorough professional cleaning — as long as you continue to follow a program of good oral hygiene at home.

Causes
Do you know what is responsible behind gingivitis? It's nothing but our poor oral hygiene. Our gums are firmly attached to the teeth lower than the gum edges that we see. This forms a small space called a sulcus where Food can easily get trapped and cause a gum infection or gingivitis.
If we don't maintain our teeth in a right manner we make a safe bed for plaque to form. Plaque, a thin film of bacteria, constantly keep forming on the surface of our teeth. As plaque advances, it hardens and becomes tartar. When plaque extends below the gum line, infection can occur.
The longer that plaque and tartar remain on your teeth, the more they irritate the gingiva, the part of your gum around the base of your teeth. In time, your gums become swollen and bleed easily.
If you're consistent with your home hygiene, you should see the return of pink, healthy gum tissue within days or weeks. You'll need to practice good oral hygiene for life, however, so your gum problems don't return.

Symptoms
Because gingivitis is seldom painful, you can have gingivitis without even knowing it. Signs and symptoms of gingivitis may include:
! Swollen gums
! Soft, puffy gums
! Receding gums
! Occasionally, tender gums
! Gums that bleed easily when you brush or floss, sometimes seen as redness or pinkness on your brush or floss
! A change in the color of your gums from a healthy pink to dusky red
! Bad breath

Lifestyle and home remedy
The best way to stay away from this tooth complicacy is to getting accustomed to a set of good dental hygiene. There is no alternative of brushing your teeth regularly. Regularly does not mean once in the morning, it means brushing your teeth at least twice daily — in the morning and before going to bed — and flossing at least once a day. In fact is it advisable that you brush your teeth after every meal or snack.  A complete cleaning with a toothbrush and floss should take three to five minutes. Flossing before you brush allows you to clean away the loosened food particles and bacteria.
Get regular professional dental cleanings, on a schedule recommended by your dentist. Using an antiseptic mouthwash recommended by your dentist also could help kill those tiny monsters inside your mouth. Don't rely on tartar-control toothpaste to do the job that brushing and flossing should do.

Remember!
! Brushing and flossing your teeth each day removes plaque. Plaque requires daily removal because it re-forms quickly, usually within 24 hours.
! Tartar makes plaque more difficult to remove and creates a protective shield for bacteria. You usually can't get rid of tartar by brushing and flossing — you need a professional dental cleaning to remove it.
! Left unchecked for a while, gingivitis can cause the gums to separate from the teeth. This can cause injury to the soft tissue and bone supporting the teeth.
! Use a soft toothbrush and replace it at least every three to four months.
! Healthy gums are firm and pale pink. If your gums are puffy, dusky red and bleed easily, you may have gingivitis.
! Untreated gingivitis can progress to gum disease that spreads to underlying tissue and bone (periodontitis), a much more serious condition that can lead to tooth loss.
! Don't over-brush.
 

Source: Internet