Is Saltwater Helpful for Periodontal Disease?

If affected by gum disease, you will likely receive several suggestions to treat the infection from home instead of visiting a periodontist to receive specialized treatment. Thankfully many products are currently available on the shelves of drugstores for treating every possible disorder existing on the planet.

Your family members may suggest gum disease is not a severe infection and has existed since time immemorial. They may open up with several home remedies you can use for treating gum disease. You may or may not like some of the suggestions because home remedies include options like oil pulling and different homemade mouthwashes. However, you won’t mind a saltwater rinse that merely requires you to use ingredients available at home and water to deal with gum infections. You may even think it is an acceptable remedy than visiting periodontists who will likely charge you hefty fees for the treatment.

Before we proceed further, let us look into why you develop gum disease and when you must seek treatment for the infection to prevent its progression to periodontal disease.

Stages of Gum Disease

Gingivitis is the earliest stage of gum disease and inflammation of the gingiva, the part of the gums surrounding the tooth’s base. Besides causing swelling, gingivitis makes the gums prone to bleeding. As a result, you notice soreness or tenderness in the affected area. In addition, you may experience pain because of swollen or irritated gums.

Gingivitis is a harmless variety of gum diseases with the potential to lead to severe gum infections. When left untreated, gingivitis progresses to periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease. Your gum tissues are damaged by periodontitis, causing your gums to recede from the teeth. Receding gums are no longer capable of holding the teeth, causing them to become loose. The loosening increases the risk of tooth loss. Of course, you wouldn’t want to join the list of 178 million Americans without at least one tooth, would you? It is why you must schedule appointments with your dentist for cleaning the moment you notice the signs of gingivitis.

How Do You Develop Gum Disease?

Approximately 700 species of bacteria cumulatively identified as oral microflora exist in your mouth. Most are harmless, and some trigger the production of saliva to help with proper digestion. Appropriate levels of saliva can prevent plaque from building up on your teeth’s surfaces.

You also have a collection of bacteria responsible for creating dental plaque, the thin and sticky film forming on the tooth surfaces, between the teeth, and below the gum line. Dental plaque contains millions of microorganisms attacking the teeth to cause tooth decay. The bacteria also irritate the gums, causing redness and swelling.

Getting Rid of Gingivitis from Home

Brushing and flossing frequently help to clear early signs of gingivitis. Rinsing with salt water can also help alleviate pain and swelling.

Rinsing with Saltwater

If you want help to deal with gingivitis from home, you must know how to rinse with saltwater. Research proves a saltwater rinse containing 0.9 percent to 1.8 percent sodium chloride helps heal the gums. In addition, disinfectant properties are present in salt, helping kill harmful bacteria in the mouth while easing swelling and pain in the infected gums.

Making a salt water rinse is not challenging because you merely need to add half or three-quarter teaspoon of salt to a glass of lukewarm water. Stir the salt until it dissolves entirely. Gargle for about 15 to 30 seconds before spitting the water out. For best results, use this convenient home remedy two to three times every day. Remember, saltwater rinses are better used on newly developed gingivitis and are not practical against periodontal disease.

If suffering from severe symptoms, you must visit the periodontist near you as soon as possible to receive periodontal treatment.

When to Seek Professional Periodontal Treatment?

If home remedies are not clearing the symptoms of gingivitis, you mustn’t delay a visit to best dentist nyc. You must also consider visiting a periodontist if you experience severe tooth pain and profuse bleeding from your gums. Consider meeting a specialist if your cheeks are puffing out because of swollen gums.

The sign you notice indicates moderate to severe gum disease. However, even if your condition has aggravated, prompt periodontal treatment can prevent the disease from progressing further. The earlier your dentist treats gum disease, the better your chances are to succeed in achieving a full recovery.

Saltwater rinses help with treating gum disease but are not capable of fixing the problem by themselves. You require help from a professional periodontist and maintain good oral hygiene habits if you intend to get over periodontal disease.