What is gingivitis, and what causes it?
The gingivitis causes are fairly clear, and that is poor oral hygiene. When the teeth are not cleaned correctly, plaque settles on them, and it is not just the teeth that then suffer, but also the gums. They can become red and inflamed, and this can be painful as well as unsightly. Once that has happened, it is a very small step to having gingivitis.
The steps are simple. The teeth become covered in plaque, which is tacky bacteria that can attach itself to the teeth. When you eat sugar and other foodstuffs such as starch, join them. As both things happen regularly, cleaning the teeth at least twice a day is important. If not removed, it will become hard and turn to tartar. This makes removing it more difficult, and the gum-line will become infected. At this stage, the treatment is out of your hands.
The longer the gingivitis is in the mouth, the more damage to the gums there will be. Eventually, teeth will start to decay, and gums will bleed. The final stage will be the loss of teeth. As the gums are affected as well, there could be problems with having teeth replaced as an infected gum will not react well to a palette or teeth replacements such as implants and bridges.