Gum inflammation is almost always caused by plaque at the gum line. What helps is removing it thoroughly and gently: keep brushing, even if it bleeds, and clean between your teeth every day. A dental hygiene appointment removes what your toothbrush and floss cannot reach. If the inflammation does not settle within one to two weeks, your gums should be checked.
Updated: 9 November 2026
How to recognise inflammation
- Your gums are red or swollen.
- They bleed when you brush or clean between your teeth.
- An unpleasant taste or bad breath persists.
Healthy gums are pale pink, fit tightly around the tooth and do not bleed.
What helps at home
- Keep brushing, especially at the spots that bleed. If you avoid them, the plaque stays.
- Gently rather than hard: a soft toothbrush, small movements at the gum line, without pressure.
- Clean between your teeth once a day, with interdental brushes of the right size or with floss.
- A mouthwash can help for a short time, but it does not replace cleaning.
Why it does not go away by itself
The inflammation is your body’s response to the bacteria in plaque. As long as the plaque stays, so does the inflammation. At and below the gum line, it hardens into tartar over time, and no toothbrush removes that.
Gum inflammation or periodontitis?
Gum inflammation, gingivitis in medical terms, affects only the gums. It heals completely once the plaque is removed. If it persists for a long time, it can spread to the structures that hold the tooth. This is called periodontitis: gum pockets form and the bone around the tooth breaks down. This inflammation can be brought to a standstill so that no more bone is lost. But lost bone usually does not grow back. That is why it pays to look early.
When you should come in
- The bleeding continues for more than two weeks despite good care.
- Your gums are receding, or your teeth look longer.
- A tooth feels loose, or pus comes out.
- Your last dental hygiene appointment was more than a year ago.
During pregnancy and with diabetes, the gums react more sensitively. Smoking can mask bleeding even though there is inflammation. In these cases, a closer look is worthwhile.
What happens at the practice
We measure the gum pockets and see how deep the inflammation goes. You see on screen what we see. If it is gum inflammation, a dental hygiene appointment and guidance on home care are usually enough. For periodontitis, a systematic periodontitis treatment follows: measure, clean, measure again.
