In all honesty, ulcerative gingivitis is actually worse than it sounds because the problem will only get worse and cause further medical problems because it is caused by an infection that simply won’t go away on its own. Simple gingivitis treatment such as proper oral hygiene is typically enough to prevent the problem from getting to the necrotizing or ulcerative stages of the condition.
However, due to the fact that mild forms of gum disease and gingivitis produce such relatively mild and painless symptoms, most people don’t take time to seek proper treatment. Once acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis is present, however, the symptoms tend to be far more severe and may include any or all of the following:
- Gums bleed much easier than with mild gingivitis including while brushing or eating even soft foods
- A subtle fever may be present that never really seems to go away but may instead linger for many days or weeks
- A gray, bacteria-infested film will form on your teeth and gums which will require advanced gingivitis treatment to effectively remove
- You will notice that it is painful to brush your teeth because the bristles will keep rubbing up against the gums which become very sore due to the intense infection
- Serious case of halitosis will either begin or worsen when necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis is present
- There will be lesions on the gums that are also called canker or mouth sores
In some cases, our other oral hygiene habits can actually worsen a case of severe chronic gingivitis. Products like a whitening toothpaste are often made with bleaching agents which can actually weaken the immune system. While they may be helpful and kill some of the anaerobic bacteria responsible for causing gum disease and gingivitis problems, they also tend to dehydrate the mouth and lower the production of saliva.
Saliva can actually help prevent acute necrotizing gingivitis because it can help lower the population of bacteria that cause the infection responsible for gingivitis and periodontitis in the first place. Saliva is rich in oxygen which helps it lower the production of the harmful bacteria because they don’t breed rapidly in well-oxygenated environments. Therefore, by avoiding behaviors that lower saliva levels, you actually increase your chances of preventing gum disease and gingivitis problems. Some activities known to lower the production of saliva include:
- Drinking alcohol
- Starting diet with low-carb/high-fat emphasis
- Improper hydration-should consume ½ ounce of water for every pound of body weight
- Laxatives
- Dietary Supplements
- Coffee, tea, or any caffeinated sodas, waters, or other beverages
Problems with gum disease and gingivitis are not difficult to treat when they are caught early on. However, for those who fail to initiate an effective gingivitis treatment, the problem will only continue to grow until the medical consequences become so severe that the problem cannot be ignored any longer. Thus, to avoid problems with ulcerative gingivitis and other advanced periodontal diseases, be sure to have plenty of saliva in your mouth at all times and use proper oral hygiene in order to control the anaerobic bacteria population from spreading out of control.
