The very problem with terms like necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis is that nobody can pronounce them let alone understand how they may affect their dental health. In the case of necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, however, the condition actually goes by a lot of names, including:

• Acute Membranous Gingivitis
• Fusospirillary Gingivitis
• Necrotizing Gingivitis
• Ulcerative Gingivitis
• Vincent’s Infection
• Vincent’s Gingivitis
• Trench Mouth

 

Now if someone were to say trench mouth or advanced gingivitis, then we would all probably have a lot better idea of what was being discussed. Trench mouth is indeed an advanced form of gum disease or gingivitis and it is characterized by any or all of the following symptoms:

• Severe inflammation of gum tissue
• Lymph nodes may be enlarged due to increased infection
• Halitosis-either a sudden appearance or worsening of the condition
• Bleeding gums when eating hard foods or when performing normal oral hygiene like flossing or brushing
• Mild but chronic fever
• Lesions or mouth sores
• Graying film over teeth and gums

 

The term “trench mouth” actually originated during the first world war when soldiers in the trenches commonly had dental health problems because they could not brush and floss daily or have access to a balanced diet and proper dental care. Many soldiers are believed to have died because this advanced form of chronic gingivitis will weaken the immune system because it caused by an infection raging in your gums.

 

Unlike pregnancy gingivitis which is caused by a hormone imbalance, necrotizing gingivitis is not likely to go away after birth. In fact, the infection will continue to spread and create pockets in between the gums and bone tissue. These pockets were created by the destruction of gingival and supporting gum tissue by the toxins produced by the infection. Anaerobic bacteria, the ultimate cause of the infection which leads to the gum disease and gingivitis problems, grows even faster in these pockets. Unless this bacteria population is reduced during gingivitis treatment, the bacteria will spread and cause even greater medical problems in the future.

 

In order to truly treat gum disease and gingivitis, it may be necessary to take antibiotics for 7-14 days in order to kill off the bacteria and eliminate the infection. You may also want to rinse your mouth out with diluted solutions of hydrogen peroxide. Warm salt water rinses also help control bacteria populations but remember to do so 3-4 each day. Behaviors and things that are likely to lead to problems with gingivitis and periodontitis are:

• Poor nutrition will weaken immune system and strain entire body
• Insomnia or sleep deprivation
• Poor oral hygiene
• Stress-known to deplete immune system, cause insomnia, and make people more susceptible to disease
• Smoking
• Throat infections
• Cavities

 

If you fail to properly treat necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, you put yourself at increased risk for a host of medical problems, like: heart attack, infective endocarditis, and stroke.