Duration of a gingivitis

introduction

The main cause of gingivitis is poor oral hygiene or dental care.

The duration of such an inflammation is extended as soon as the body is systemically, i.e. in its entirety, disturbed and cannot fight the bacteria.The severity of the gingivitis also plays an important role in the duration of healing.

Read more on the topic: Gum inflammation- identify and treat

Mild gingivitis can be treated with improved oral hygiene. In the case of more severe inflammation, however, a dentist must be consulted in any case.

General duration

It is not possible to give a specific time information about how long a gingivitis lasts. There is one exception, however. During pregnancy, the hormones change in such a way that they increase vascular permeability and increase blood flow to the gums. If the hormonal balance changes after the birth, the gums can recover.

Read more on the topic: Inflammation of the gums in pregnancy

But even in these cases, each body reacts differently. The length of time alone varies as the inflammation comes on more quickly in some patients than in others. It depends on how good your oral hygiene is, how strong the immune system is. It even depends on how the teeth are aligned.

Chronic inflammation develops over several years. Acute inflammation occurs suddenly. Accordingly, the healing proceeds more slowly or even faster. In addition, some patients respond to an antibiotic, while others have no effect from the antibiotic. The course and duration cannot be generally predicted.

Duration of treatment

The overall treatment is divided into 3 sections: There is the pre-treatment, the actual treatment and the aftercare.

As part of the pretreatment, oral hygiene is determined and professional teeth cleaning is carried out. An improvement can often be seen through this. The patient must go to the dentist until at least 25% of all teeth are in good condition. If the oral hygiene is below 25% at some point, therapy can be started.

A sample is also sent to the laboratory, especially for young patients who are perhaps very careful about their oral hygiene and still suffer from periodontitis (inflammation of the teeth supporting tissue). Depending on how severe the inflammation is, i.e. the severity of the periodontitis, the respective form of therapy is selected. If necessary, tartar below the gums, the so-called concretions, is removed. The root surface is smoothed with hand instruments or ultrasonic devices so that new plaque does not adhere again.

After 4-6 weeks the patient comes for a follow-up examination. Pockets that were previously 5-6 mm deep must be surgically opened and cleaned under direct vision. In this operating theater, bone substitute material can also be introduced if necessary. Soft tissue can be grafted to hide exposed tooth necks. Depending on how long the pre-treatment lasts, the entire treatment can take from 2 months to a year.

How long a treatment takes depends on many factors. On the one hand, the most important thing is that the patient improves oral hygiene and changes their cleaning habits. No improvement is to be expected without the cooperation of the patient. On the other hand, the length of the treatment varies, depending on how far the inflammation has progressed. Mild acute gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) can be treated in one session. If the gingivitis has progressed, several sessions will be necessary.

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Duration of healing

When it comes to healing, a distinction must be made between simple inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and inflammation of the gums (periodontitis). If the inflammation is acute and has not yet settled, it will heal within 1-2 weeks. This corresponds to the ideal case.

It is, of course, necessary to immediately go to the dentist and start treatment. The patient's oral hygiene is also important. If the teeth are not cleaned correctly at least twice a day, there is no chance of healing. Rather, the condition will continue to deteriorate. This can lead to periodontitis. If this is not treated, the entire healing process takes up to 6 months. The prerequisite for this is that oral hygiene is then followed so that there is no relapse.

Read more on the topic: dental care

Duration of antibiotic use

The duration of intake varies depending on the severity of the periodontitis (inflammation of the tooth bed). In addition, the different antibiotics with different active ingredients differ in their duration of intake. The most common duration of intake is one week. The dosage varies per day. There are drugs that are taken in the morning, at noon and in the evening with meals, or there are tablets that are only taken once a day. For example, Ciproflaxin 250 is taken twice a day for 10 days. Tetracycline 250 is taken over 21 days due to its low active ingredient content.

It therefore depends on which bacterial strains are fought by which active ingredient - the duration of intake changes depending on this.

Read more on the topic: Antibiotics for gingivitis

Length of sick leave

One cannot generally expect a sick leave. Inflammation of the gums is usually not a disease that worsens the general condition so much that one could no longer work. Even periodontitis, i.e. inflammation of the entire periodontium, is not an acute problem. However, there may be more pain while treating the inflammation. If, for example, an operation is carried out and the gums are unfolded, one could ask for a medical certificate the following day, as the gums are very sensitive due to the many small cuts and sutures.

In addition, it depends on which job the patient is doing, it makes a difference whether you work as a construction worker and inhale fine particles of dust, which could interfere with wound healing, or whether you sit in the office all day and hardly do any physical activity .

Duration of symptoms

The duration varies depending on the severity of the inflammation. Even mild inflammation causes reddening of the gums. This symptom can easily go away once the inflammation subsides. Small blisters on the gums are mostly present for 9 days. A motto is "3 days come, 3 days stay, 3 days go". The blisters are usually tender to pressure and painful to the touch.

If the inflammation is more advanced, the gums will bleed when touching the probe at the dentist. Another step is that when you brush your teeth, your gums start bleeding. The reason for this is the increased blood flow to the gums. This symptom remains until the vascular permeability is normalized again. This only works through careful hygiene.

The symptom of bad breath can occur as it is often difficult to clean the painful areas properly

Other symptoms include receding gums and even bone loss if the pardontitis has not been treated. Bone that has already receded does not recover. The result is hypersensitivity to intense heat and extreme cold. The tooth may get used to it over time. Otherwise there is the option of protecting the exposed tooth neck with a filling. In addition, there are now procedures in which bones can be rebuilt and the gums can again cover the neck of the tooth.

Read more on the subject at: Symptoms of gingivitis

Duration of pain

The perception of pain differs depending on the person. Sensitive patients feel every small change in the gums, others can hide the pain and do not notice that the condition of the gums is deteriorating. In principle, the pain lasts until healing is complete. Of course, the pain level is not always on the same level. As soon as an improvement is noticeable, the pain should go away again.

The greatest pain is probably caused by an operation in which the gums are flipped open so that the teeth and roots can be completely cleaned at once. Once the narcotics wear off, the cuts and sutures hurt. After the operation, it is advisable to take pain killers.

Read more on the topic: Pain associated with inflammation of the gums