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Gingivitis

see also Vincent's Disease

Infected or bleeding gums, usually caused by a build-up of plaque (a sticky mixture of bacteria and food particles) on the teeth because dental hygiene is inadequate or the saliva is too acidic; less often, vitamin deficiency, blood disorders, or drugs may be the cause.

Where plaque is the culprit, bacterial toxins cause the gums to become inflamed and swollen where they hug the teeth; in the pockets between the gums and teeth more decaying food gets trapped, more plaque builds up, and the inner and deeper layers of plaque harden into a substance called calculus, which begins to loosen the teeth from their sockets, with the danger of a Tooth Abscess forming. Routinely treated by giving all antibacterial mouthwash, and removing offending plaque and calculus by scaling; gums usually heal satisfactorily if oral hygiene is maintained.

If gingivitis is very advanced, sensitive tissue covering root of tooth becomes exposed, causing extreme sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet food and drinks. If gum pockets trapping food are very deep, surgery may be necessary (gingivectomy); if teeth are kept scrupulously clean, gums usually grow back again.

Specific remedies to be given every 4 hours for up to 3 days

  • Gums spongy, breath smells bad Mercurius 30c
  • Red, inflamed, swollen gums which bleed easily, with roots of teeth exposed, especially in left upper jaw Kreosotum 30c
  • Swollen gums which bleed easily, ulcers, taste of pus in mouth, teeth very sensitive to hot and cold Natrum mur. 30c
  • Gums which bleed easily when touched, gaps between teeth and gums Phosphorus 30c
  • Gums which are painful, swollen, very sensitive to cold liquids, and bleed easily, tendency to gumboils Silicea 30c

Self-help: To prevent gum disease in the first place, or to prevent recurrence, brush teeth and gums regularly, especially after sugary foods; floss between teeth every day; eat chewy foods in preference to soft foods (chewing 'massages' the gums and helps to pump blood through the teeth), but avoid foods which scratch or cut the gums; watch out for pockets of infection around ragged fillings or awkwardly spaced teeth, or around teeth next to dentures. If infection is present, rinse the mouth with Hypericum and Calendula solution (5 drops of mother tincture of each in 0.25 litre [½ pint] boiled cooled water) 4 times a day.

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Ailment & Diseases

  Tooth Abscess
  Vincent`s Disease (Acute Ulcerative Gingivitis)
View Related

Remedies

  Kreosotum
  Mercurius
  Natrum mur.
  Phosphorus
  Silicea
View Related

Other Treatments

  Hypericum and Calendula solution
View Related

Organisations


Related to Teeth & Gums
  British Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis
  National Board of Homeopathy in Dentistry, Inc. (NBHD)


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