What is Gingivitis: Gingivitis is a periodontal disease, specifically pertaining to the gums. In gingivitis, the gums suffer inflammation. And can therefore infect the other tissues surrounding the teeth. If severe, the infection can even affect the bone and other soft tissue in the mouth.
Periodontal diseases are classified on the basis of their severity. Though usually mild, they can become really severe too. In certain cases a mild gingivitis when ignored, can become an acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis. This disorder is particularly life threatening.
Causes of Gingivitis: Gingivitis is primarily caused due to bacteria. These bacteria, though usually present in the mouth, can begin to attack if the body’s defenses run low. The mouth offers a great environment for the bacteria to grow and thrive. The mouth is both warm and moist, which is exactly the kind of environment that the bacteria need in order to exist. The bacteria also get a constant supply of food in the mouth because of which they can continue to survive for a long time.
Usually the body’s immune system is able to check any rise in the number of harmful microbes in the body. However, if for some reason, the immune system is overwhelmed and is not able to counter the growth of bacteria in the mouth, the bacteria begin to reproduce rapidly overwhelming the immune system further.
The bacteria, when in large numbers, begin to attack the soft tissues surrounding the teeth and the bones. The bacteria accumulate between the teeth in the form of plaque. The plaque, if not removed periodically from the teeth, can cause a lot of damage. However, there are other contributing factors for gingivitis to develop. Almost all people have plaque in their mouths but not all develop gingivitis, but when paired with a continuing illness, plaque can result in gingivitis.
Other factors include illnesses like leukemia diabetes, Wegner disease, HIV and Addison disease can cause changes in the blood vessels or a drop in the immunity which allows gingivitis to develop.
Essential Oils to Treat Gingivitis: Aromatherapy utilizes the aromatic and therapeutic properties of essential oils which are produced from distillation of plant parts. Since the parts of various plants have many therapeutic properties, they can be used to treat different ailments.
A mouthwash created using the mixture of various essential oils can be used to treat gingivitis. Essential oils of cypress, myrrh, rose and tea tree can be used with warm water to rinse the mouth. All these essential oils are anti bacterial and can be used effectively to treat gingivi