treatments for gingivitis - brushing and flossing teeth makes a difference

Treatments for Gingivitis

Sunrise Dental are experts in treating and preventing gum diseases like gingivitis. If your gums are red and swollen or if they bleed easily, this could be a symptom of gum disease. Gingivitis is a common bacterial infection that causes inflammation of the gums, and will continue to worsen and lead to more serious diseases if ignored. The sooner your gingivitis is treated, the better the long term prognosis of your teeth will be. 

How Sunrise Dental Treats Gingivitis

Treatments for gingivitis will vary from patient to patient, depending on the severity of our patient’s gum disease. We may need to perform restorative treatments if bacteria hiding in damaged teeth or cavities are contributing to the gingivitis. As a new patient, you may need a simple one visit cleaning. Additional visits may be needed in other cases, depending on the level of the inflammation.

Ongoing preventive care is essential, as there is no cure for gum disease. Regular professional cleanings are the best way to treat gingivitis. Our highly skilled and knowledgeable hygienists will remove the plaque, tartar and bacteria from all tooth surfaces—even below the gums, where brushing, and even flossing, can’t reach.  

At Sunrise Dental, we use diode laser treatments to help treat gum disease. Laser treatment is effective, non-invasive, and painless. The diode laser seeks out and removes infected gum tissue, The laser also destroys the bacteria that are causing the infection, and allows the growth of new, healthy tissue. To keep your gums healthy, we highly recommend maintenance cleanings every three to four months as a preventive measure. 

How to Treat Gingivitis at Home

First of all, we recommend you begin with a professional cleaning in our office by one of our highly skilled hygienists. This will start you off with smooth and polished tooth surfaces. Secondly, you may need to make changes to your daily habits in order to successfully resolve gingivitis. Poor or ineffective oral care is the leading cause of gingivitis. Thorough brushing and flossing on a daily basis is the best way to prevent gum disease.

Brush your teeth at least twice daily with a soft (preferably) electric toothbrush. Brushing after every snack or meal is even more beneficial. Use dental floss at least once every day before you go to bed. We also highly recommend a Waterpik or other type of water flosser, as they are very effective at flushing out bacteria and their toxins from below the gumline.  Smoking is a major risk factor for gum disease, so we always encourage our patients to quit smoking. We have resources available when you are ready to quit.

At Sunrise Dental, we will also recommend the best products for helping you treat and prevent gingivitis. Our recommendation for an electric toothbrush is the Braun Oral B. In our opinion, it is the most effective electric toothbrush because the brush head has an oscillating and an ultrasonic movement. It also has specialized brush heads that can specifically target areas where plaque tends to form. We can help guide you towards the best toothpaste, mouthwash, or other oral health care product that will best support your home care routine. 

Contact Us

Sunrise Dental is a husband-and-wife dental team in Peoria, Arizona. Our primary mission is to help improve the oral health of our patients. Oral health is essential to total health. We strive to provide a personalized dental experience for our patients, with particular focus on keeping your visit as easy and comfortable as possible. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call us at 623-487-4870 today.

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