What is Gingivitis?

What is gingivitis? It’s a common yet often overlooked dental condition that affects millions of people around the globe each year. Whilst gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease, if left untreated it can lead to more serious oral health issues, such as periodontitis and tooth loss. 

As gingivitis is so common, understanding exactly what this disease is and how it develops is crucial, giving you the knowledge needed to make the right decisions for your oral health. In this blog, we’ll explore what gingivitis is, its causes and symptoms, potential treatment options, and how the condition can be linked to dental negligence.

In some situations, gingivitis can sometimes be the result of inadequate dental care or dental negligence. If this is the case, we may be able to open a dental negligence claim for you – just get in touch with our team to start your claim.

What is Gingivitis?

As previously stated, gingivitis is an early form of gum disease that is signified by your gums becoming inflamed, although it’s usually much milder than the later stages of gum disease. 

The condition is usually caused by a buildup of plaque on your teeth, which is a sticky film of bacteria. If this plaque is not removed through regular brushing and flossing, it hardens into something known as tartar, which can only be removed by a trained dental professional. The bacteria found in plaque and tartar can irritate the gums, which can lead to the following signs of gingivitis:

• Dark red, puffy or swollen gums: Healthy gums should feel firm and be a light pink colour.
• Bleeding gums: If your gums bleed often (particularly when brushing your teeth or flossing), this is a major signifier of gingivitis or gum disease.
• Tender, painful gums: If your gums feel tender and painful when eating food or sensitive to touch, you may have gingivitis.

• Bad breath (halitosis): Persistent bad breath (sometimes known as halitosis) can be a sign of gingivitis, as well as a range of other oral health conditions.

• Sensitivity of your gums to hot and or cold foods 

If you notice any of these signs or symptoms, it’s important that you inform your dentist and attend a dental appointment, as early intervention can prevent the condition from worsening and turning into periodontitis.

Gingivitis is extremely common, but it’s also highly preventable and reversible when using proper oral hygiene techniques like brushing and flossing regularly. If the condition is left untreated, it can progress to a more severe form of gum disease called periodontitis, which can damage the soft tissue and bone supporting the teeth, leading to tooth loss and receding gums.

What Are the Main Causes of Gingivitis?

Understanding the main causes of gingivitis can help you treat and prevent the condition. The main cause is poor oral hygiene (which can lead to a build-up of bacteria and tartar in the mouth), but several other factors can contribute to the development of gingivitis:

• Plaque buildup: In most cases, plaque is the main culprit behind gingivitis, turning into hard tartar if not removed properly, which can exacerbate gum inflammation.
• Poor diet and nutrition: If your diet is lacking essential nutrients (like vitamin C), your gums are more susceptible to infection and can become weaker.

• Hormonal changes: Interestingly, hormonal changes can also make your gums more susceptible to inflammation – particularly during pregnancy, puberty, menopause and menstruation.

• Medical conditions: Some medical conditions (for example, diabetes, cancer and HIV) can weaken your immune system and increase the risk of gingivitis and other dental issues.

• Medications: Prescription medication can also affect your chances of developing the condition – particularly medications that reduce your saliva flow. 

• Smoking: As well as causing major diseases like cancer and emphysema, smoking tobacco can also weaken the immune system and make it harder for your gums to heal if they become inflamed.

• Your genetics and family history: Your genetics can also affect the development of gingivitis, as it’s estimated that a third of people with gum disease have inherited the condition.

As you can see, there are many different causes of gingivitis, with some of them being more preventable than others. If you’ve developed the disease and your dentist has failed to diagnose the condition or has failed to treat it effectively, you may be eligible for a dental negligence claim.

How Do Dentists Diagnose Gingivitis?

If you suspect you may have gingivitis, you should contact your dentist as soon as possible for a dental check-up. Your dentist will usually have to conduct a thorough dental examination to determine whether you have the condition, typically following these steps:

1. Review your medical history: Your dentist should first review your medical history to identify any potential risk factors, such as smoking, a family history of gingivitis or any underlying health conditions.
2. Gum examination: Your dentist should then carry out a thorough gum examination to spot gum disease and gingivitis, checking for signs of redness, swelling and bleeding.
3. Measure your gum pocket depths: Your dentist should also measure the depth of the space between your teeth and gums using a graduated dental probe. Typically, the deeper the pocket, the more advanced your gum disease is. 
4. Take X-rays: Your dentist may also need to take X-rays to check for bone loss, which can occur in more advanced stages of gum disease. However, you’re unlikely to have bone loss with gingivitis.

If your dentist fails to diagnose gingivitis or gum disease and this leads to the condition getting worse, you may be able to open a failure to diagnose dental negligence claim against them. 

What Are My Treatment Options?

It can be disheartening to learn that you have gingivitis, but the good news is that the condition is reversible when taking the proper care. Your main treatment options include:

• Professional dental cleaning: Professional dental cleaning is usually conducted by a dental hygienist. Your hygienist will remove your plaque and tartar through the scaling and root planing process, eliminating the bacteria that is causing the inflammation.

• Improve your oral hygiene: Keeping up with a regular oral hygiene routine is essential for preserving your health. You should brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and floss daily – antibacterial mouthwashes can also prevent plaque building up.

• Make lifestyle changes: Your diet and lifestyle can have a significant impact on your chances of developing gingivitis, so quitting smoking, managing stress and eating a balanced diet are highly recommended.

• Prescribed medication: Your dentist may prescribe certain medications to reduce the risk of dental infections, including antibiotics and antimicrobial mouthwashes.

• Attend your dental checkups: It’s important that you attend your regular dental checkups (usually every six months to a year), as this will allow your dentist to diagnose any oral health issues that crop up.

Gum disease can be reversible if it’s still within the gingivitis stage, so following these steps could be extremely helpful. However, if it gets worse or develops into periodontitis, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to reverse the condition. If in doubt, we recommend speaking to your dentist for a full oral assessment.

How Can Gingivitis Be Linked to Dental Negligence?

Gingivitis is often the result of poor oral hygiene. However, there are some situations in which dental negligence is a contributing factor to the development and progression of the condition  

The main reasons for dental negligence involving gingivitis are:

Failure to Diagnose Claims

If your dentist fails to identify an oral health condition like gingivitis during a routine checkup, it can progress to a more serious version of gum disease, which may not be reversible. This is classed as dental negligence and can be particularly concerning if the patient exhibits clear symptoms of gingivitis, such as bleeding gums or inflammation. 

Inadequate Treatment Claims

If your dentist fails to provide the right treatment or carries out the wrong type of treatment, you may be able to open a failure to treat claim. Examples of this type of claim involving gingivitis include Improper cleaning by your dentist or a failure to remove tartar during a dental visit – both of these actions could be classed as negligent if they exacerbate your condition. 

Failure to treat claims may also be enacted if your dentist delays treatment for gingivitis, either by postponing your dental appointments or by failing to treat the issue promptly. This can turn gingivitis into more serious forms of gum disease like periodontitis, which may cause irreversible damage to your gums and jawbone.

Lack of Patient Education Claims

Another issue that can be classed as dental negligence is a lack of patient education. Dentists have a duty of care responsibility to educate their patients about proper oral hygiene practices, which includes providing the proper aftercare advice after a procedure has been carried out. 

If your dentist fails to provide clear instructions on brushing, flossing, and the importance of conducting regular dental visits, it could lead to your gingivitis getting worse. Your dentist also has a responsibility to gain informed consent from you, which includes informing you of any risks, side effects and alternative treatments available. If they don’t do this and something goes wrong, you may be able to open a failure to obtain informed consent dental claim.

Case Study: £10,000 Awarded for Dental Negligence Involving Gum Disease

Whilst we can’t state exactly how much compensation you’ll be awarded for your case, you may want to browse through our Client Stories page to see if there are any similar cases.

One of our successful claims involving gum disease highlights the story of a woman from Prestwich who was awarded £10,000 in compensation after suffering from significant dental negligence and neglect. The patient had suffered from gum disease for several years, but her condition had not been properly diagnosed and treated at that time. As a result of this negligence, her condition worsened, which led to the loss of multiple teeth, as well as several restorative dental procedures.

After seeking out legal advice from the Dental Law Partnership, it was discovered that the patient had suffered considerable pain, emotional distress and a loss of confidence, as well as financial losses from the corrective treatments required. The compensation awarded helped to cover these costs, highlighting the dentist’s failure to provide an acceptable standard of care.

If you believe your gingivitis was worsened by a negligent dentist or dental practice, it’s important to consult a dental negligence solicitor to see what your claim options are. 

At the Dental Law Partnership, we can help you determine whether you have a case and guide you through the legal process – just get in touch with our team on 0800 152 2039 to find out more.

Gingivitis Should Never be Ignored

We hope that after reading through this blog, the question of ‘What is gingivitis?’ has been answered sufficiently, giving you all the information you need to understand this form of periodontal disease. Gingivitis is common but it’s also highly preventable, although if left untreated, it can lead to serious oral health issues further down the line.

Poor oral hygiene is often the primary cause of gingivitis, but dental negligence can also play a significant part in the development of the disease. These situations can be extremely distressing for all involved, but hiring a dental negligence solicitor may help you to claim compensation for the ordeal you’ve faced. 

At the Dental Law Partnership, we’re a team of dental experts having worked in the legal field for 25 years. We work primarily on a no-win, no-fee basis, which means you’ll only pay a small fee to cover our legal costs if your case is successful.

If you suspect dental negligence has taken place, don’t hesitate to seek out legal advice from our team – just contact us here or request a callback to find out more about how we can help you.