Inflamed Gums Are the Number One Symptom of Gum Disease

If you are suffering from inflamed gums, the odds are good that you are also suffering from periodontal disease (which is little more than another name for gum disease). By and large, inflamed gums are red, sometimes mottled in appearance, tender to the touch, and they may be unusually sensitive to heat and cold. Since inflamed gums are the number one symptom of gum disease, it stands to reason that learning a bit more about this ailment is an important task.

In simplest terms, gum disease is little more than an inflammation that has turned into a chronic form of bacteria driven infection. The more pronounced the condition, the more apparent its effect on the gums, and thus the experience of inflamed gums is not actually the starting point for the condition but instead a sign that the disease has gone unchecked for a while and has finally erupted into a visible and tangible symptom.

As the periodontal disease progresses, inflamed gums are considered the first warning and it is the swelling that makes this also the most noted one. To blame for gum disease and its accompanying symptoms is a failing oral hygiene at home and no matter how well you brush, floss, and rinse after the realization that gum disease might be present, only the intervention of a dental health professional is now able to counteract the progression of the disease and once again set you on a course for healthy gums and teeth.

The early stages of gum disease are easily reversible without surgery and a thorough cleaning by the dental hygienist or a scaling and root planing for the more advanced cases is indicated. While this may sound like a most undesirable treatment to undergo with inflamed gums, the application of topical numbing agents make this an endurable procedure and most certainly by far much more comfortable than the specter of surgery and other invasive treatment that await those who choose not to heed the early warning of inflamed gums, bleeding gums, or perhaps even swollen gums.

Even as inflamed gums are the number one symptom of gum disease, those who ignore it will move on to other symptoms which may present concurrently or subsequently to the inflammation of the gum tissue. Periodontitis is frequently the next step up from gingivitis – as the condition is referred to thus far – and before long the dangerous bacteria buildup will move from above the gum line to below this line. At this stage of the advancing disease there will be a noted formation of pockets between the gums and teeth and bacteria will use these locales to further multiply and strengthen their attacks on the dental structures.

As gums separate from teeth and the latter subsequently loosen significantly, tooth loss is not far behind. Avoid this stage of the disease by responding to the initial symptoms and heeding the warning they offer. An early visit to your dentist may sound like it will be uncomfortable, but when compared with the ramifications of ignoring the problem it is little more than a walk in the park.