Author: Lizzie Smith – blog last updated on Tuesday 5th January 2024
If you suffer from gum disease, it’s essential to treat it immediately. Gingivitis (inflamed gums) usually occurs as a result of dental plaque. The gums are red and irritated; they may also be swollen, painful, and bleed when touched.
If gingivitis isn’t treated, the infection can progress to periodontal disease. At this stage, you should consult your dentist. This is because periodontal disease spreads to the deeper tissues and can eventually even affect bone tissue, leading to bone breakdown, loose teeth and molars, and ultimately them falling out.
Even in the early stages of gingivitis, the proliferation of bacteria causes pain and bad breath. Furthermore, inflammations in your mouth are highly detrimental to your overall health.
So, take action today! Brushing your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes is given. But you’ll have to do more than that to remedy inflamed gums.
Here are some top tips to help you:
1. Take a critical look at the ingredients of your toothpaste and mouthwash
Many toothpastes contain ingredients that affect the natural balance in the oral cavity, dry out the oral mucosa and increase the acidity in the mouth. So, choose an effective yet mouth-friendly toothpaste such as RyttPro Toothpaste Magic Mint. The powerful OZ-3X formula fights harmful bacteria but leaves the oral flora intact and neutralises the acidity in the mouth.
Rinsing your mouth after brushing and flossing is a good idea. You can rinse away the last plaque remnants with mouthwash and reach the smallest corners and spots. Your mouthwash’s ingredients are also crucial, so opt for the mouth-friendly but effective RyttPro Oral Rinse.
2. Remove tartar yourself or have it done by a dental professional
Plaque that you don’t remove hardens into tartar. Because tartar is porous, more plaque can remain, leading to inflamed gums. For a fresh start, you need to remove the tartar from your teeth.
You can remove the visible (supra-gingival) tartar yourself. But don’t mess around with acids like vinegar and lemon juice. Whilst they make tartar porous and easier to remove, acids also attack your tooth enamel.
Removing the sub-gingival tartar under your gums should be left to a dentist or dental hygienist. However, with the right tools, you can remove the visible tartar yourself.
The Moist-R Whitening Sponge is a soft sponge that makes it impossible to damage your gums. The sponge cleans your tooth enamel at an intense level, thanks to the absorption capacity of nanoparticles. When they come into contact with water, these become nano-capillary tubes, which have an even greater absorption capacity to remove contaminants from your teeth. If you have hard, stuck-on tartar, you’ll need to use the sponge more intensively.
A dental bracket is a more traditional dental instrument that requires a steady hand, just like your dentist. If you have one, the Profi Dental Hook can serve you well. It’s a complete set of two stainless steel dental brackets and a non-fogging mouth mirror.
3. Clean your tooth and molars on all sides
Brushing your teeth twice daily for 2 minutes is obvious, but the technique is also important. For example, the border between your teeth and gums is a notorious place where plaque collects and where it comes into direct contact with your gums. You should place the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your teeth when you brush. Brush the outside, inside and chewing surfaces of all teeth. Remember the backs of your back molars.
Then there are the interdental spaces – the places between your teeth where the toothbrush cannot reach. You should clean these areas daily with dental floss, toothpicks and/or interdental brushes.
If necessary, ask your dentist or dental hygienist for guidance.
4. Clean your tongue
Cleaning your tongue drastically reduces the amount of harmful bacteria in your mouth, much more than just brushing your teeth. If you want to prevent inflamed gums, cleaning your tongue daily is an excellent habit to get into.
However, never do this with your toothbrush. Its bristles are intended for cleaning smooth tooth enamel, not the soft, rough tissue of your tongue. In addition, the head of your toothbrush is too high to reach the back of your tongue, where it’s needed most.
Instead, use a tongue scraper or a special tongue brush to keep your tongue clean. Even better, the RyttPro Tongue Cleaner contains a tongue scraper and a tongue brush with soft bristles. Together with RyttPro Oral Foam, you can disinfect your tongue deep between the tongue papillae without disturbing the oral flora.
5. RyttPro Healthy Gums Kit
Preventing early gingivitis or treating inflamed gums is easy with the RyttPro Healthy Gums Kit. The kit first contains the effective but safe RyttPro toothpaste Magic Mint and RyttPro Mouthwash mentioned in tip 1.
It also contains two handy instruments – a tray and a jaw syringe. With the tray, you can let the toothpaste or the Oral Foam mentioned in tip 4 work on your gums for longer. And with the jaw syringe, you can spray the mouthwash directly onto the irritated area.
6. Prevent a dry mouth
Saliva provides natural protection for your teeth and stabilises the balance of oral flora. A deficiency in saliva is, therefore, unfavourable for your oral health. This is because dry mouth complaints play into the hands of harmful bacteria, which also increases the risk of inflamed gums.
The mouth-friendly toothpaste and mouthwash mentioned in tip 1 are a better choice for a dry mouth than many regular products containing ingredients that further dry out and acidify the mouth.
With Moist-R Refreshing Tongue spray, Moist-R Hydrating Chewing gum or Moist-R Xylitol tablets for Dry Mouth with xylitol, you can stimulate saliva production and hydrate the oral mucosa throughout the day.
7. Adopt a healthy lifestyle
Inflamed gums also say something about your overall health. Ask yourself honestly and critically whether there’s anything in your lifestyle that can be improved. A healthy diet is essential for healthy gums. Otherwise, a deficiency of minerals and vitamins will occur, including vitamin C, which is crucial for your gums. Junk food usually contains a lot of sugars and carbohydrates, which support harmful oral bacteria.
Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption also promote the growth of harmful oral bacteria. This leads to more plaque and tartar, acidification and disturbed oral flora – all factors that can contribute to gum disease. If you need help, you should consult your doctor.
Finally, stress, sleep deprivation and many types of medication can also affect oral health.
8. Consult your dentist
In principle, you can treat inflamed gums (early gingivitis) yourself using the above tips. However, if this isn’t possible within two weeks, you should visit your dentist or dental hygienist. You should also do this if you have a more severe case of inflamed gums.
In addition, regular check-ups and cleanings by your dentist or dental hygienist are still necessary. However, taking good care of your gums and tackling emerging irritations immediately ensures that treatments are less invasive.
Use the tips above to keep your teeth and gums clean and smooth after a dental cleaning and reduce the amount of harmful bacteria.
Sources
Oral Health Foundation: Gum disease
British Dental Journal: Time to take gum disease seriously