Gum disease or periodontal disease is the infection and inflammation of the gums and other bone surrounding tissues. With time, your teeth become covered with plaque. If not properly cleaned plaque tends to build up and harden into tartar. Plaque could be removed with regular brushing and flossing, but tartar needs to be removed by a dentist.
Tartar might cause inflammation of the gums (often known as gingivitis). This condition is characterized by bleeding from the gums while brushing or flossing the teeth, but it can be reversed with the professional cleaning at the dentist.
Sometimes, teeth bleed and cause pain, which is a symptom that infection has spread into the bone and surrounding tissue. This condition is known as periodontitis. After 30, periodontitis cause more tooth loss than cavities.
Symptoms
Symptoms of gum disease are usually red and swollen gums, which bleed when a patient brush or floss them. Gums are moving upwards, widening the space between the gums and teeth and causing loose teeth. Patients suffering from gum disease often have problems with constant breath smell.
Remedies for Gum Disease
Natural remedies include the use of vitamins C and D, coenzyme Q10, tea tree oil and cranberries. Stress reduction and an oscillating electric toothbrush might also be helpful.
Vitamin C is necessary to maintain good health of your teeth. This vitamin is an antioxidant, which affects the reparation of the bone and surrounding tissue. The recommended daily dosage of vitamin C is 60mg, and you could increase the intake of it by eating more fruits or vegetables. Oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, mango and papaya, and also cantaloupe, broccoli, brussel sprouts, or red pepper are great sources of vitamin C.
Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory effects and prevents gum bleeding. 10 to 15 minutes of the sunlight every couple of days provide enough vitamin D. It could also be taken as multivitamin supplement, and it is recommended to use those with minimum 200 International units (IU) daily.
Some studies suggest that coenzyme Q10 is essential for gum reparation. It is normally found in the body and in different food, but there are toothpastes and supplements available that contain this coenzyme.
Tea tree oil brushed two times a day for several weeks might decrease bleeding and inflammation of the gums. Do not use the tea tree, but the toothpaste which contain tea tree oil.
Cranberry juice, without added sugar could be helpful when dealing with the gum problems.
Oscillating electric toothbrushes could decrease plaque and gum inflammation somewhat better than the regular toothbrush.
Sometimes, people find that gum inflammation reduces significantly when the stress in their life eases. It has been proven that stress increase the plaque buildup, leading to gum problems. You might want to try some relaxation techniques to maintain the good health of your teeth.
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