General Dentistry · Last reviewed May 2026
Bleeding Gums? Gingivitis Is Reversible
If Treated Early.
Picasso Dental treats gingivitis in Vietnam, addressing early gum inflammation (red, bleeding, swollen gums) before it progresses to bone-destroying periodontitis. Treatment includes ultrasonic deep scaling, polishing and personalised hygiene coaching, typically across one to two visits. Gingivitis is the earliest, cheapest and only fully reversible stage of gum disease. Caught here, your gums return to health; left alone, the disease progresses to permanent bone loss.
What Is Gingivitis?
Gingivitis is inflammation of the gum tissue caused by plaque biofilm accumulating along the gum line. It is the earliest stage of gum disease, characterised by red, swollen and bleeding gums, but with no bone loss yet. Gingivitis is fully reversible if treated promptly. If left untreated, it progresses to periodontitis, where the bone supporting the teeth is permanently lost. The window to fix the problem cleanly is narrow, and inexpensive. Once bone goes, it does not come back.
Gingivitis vs Periodontitis
The same disease at two different stages. Honest framing decides the right treatment.
| Gingivitis | Periodontitis | |
|---|---|---|
| Inflammation | Yes | Yes |
| Bone loss | None | Present, permanent |
| Reversible | Fully | Stoppable, not reversible |
| Pocket depth | Up to 3mm | 4mm or deeper |
| Visits to treat | 1 to 2 | 4 to 6 |
| Page | This page | Gum treatment |
Diagnosis is decided after periodontal charting and X-rays, not from a website.
Why Picasso for Gingivitis
Senior General Dentists
Gingivitis is treated by experienced general dentists who chart, scale and coach in the same visit. You see the same clinician at recall, so technique gaps and risk factors are tracked over time, not reset every visit.
Ultrasonic + Manual Scaling
Ultrasonic instruments clear the heavy bulk quickly and comfortably; hand instruments refine the work near the gum margin. Both are needed, neither alone is enough. Most general practices skip one or the other.
Individualised Hygiene Coaching
Interdental brushes are sized to your actual spaces, not handed out generically. Flossing technique is demonstrated and corrected. Without daily home care, gingivitis comes back, the cleaning alone is not the cure.
6-Month Recall Reminders
We schedule and remind. Gingivitis is the disease where missing recalls is the single most common cause of return. The reminder is part of the treatment, not a marketing afterthought.
Honest Escalation
If charting reveals pockets deeper than 4mm or X-rays show bone loss, the diagnosis is periodontitis, not gingivitis, and we say so. We do not bill gingivitis pricing for a periodontitis problem, or vice versa.
Risk-Factor Screening
Pregnancy, diabetes control, medications, smoking. We ask about all of them because gingivitis behaves very differently in their presence. Treatment that ignores risk factors fails. Treatment that accounts for them holds.
Symptoms of Gingivitis
The signs to look for. Any one of these warrants a check; two or more is a strong signal to book.
Bleeding When Brushing or Flossing
The earliest and most reliable sign. Healthy gums do not bleed. Pink in the sink, even occasionally, is the gum tissue telling you inflammation has started.
Red or Purplish Gum Margin
Healthy gums are coral pink and matte. Gingivitis gums look red, shiny or purplish along the edge where the gum meets the tooth.
Swollen, Puffy Gums
The gum margin loses its sharp, knife-edge profile and appears rolled, rounded or bulbous. The tissue feels soft to the touch instead of firm.
Tenderness When Brushing
Gums that ache or feel sore during normal brushing. Many patients respond by brushing less, which makes the problem worse, not better.
Bad Breath
Persistent halitosis that does not resolve with brushing or mouthwash. The bacteria in plaque biofilm produce volatile sulfur compounds; mechanical removal is what clears them.
Slight Recession (Early)
The gum margin sits a little lower than it used to, exposing the very edge of the tooth. In gingivitis this is mild and reversible as inflammation resolves.
Causes and Risk Factors
Gingivitis has one root cause (plaque biofilm) and many accelerants. Knowing yours decides how often you need recall scaling.
Poor Oral Hygiene
The most common cause. Plaque biofilm accumulates along the gum line within 24 hours of skipped cleaning. Without daily disruption by brush and floss, it mineralises into calculus, which only a scaler can remove.
Pregnancy Hormones
Pregnancy gingivitis affects a large proportion of expectant mothers. Increased progesterone amplifies the gum response to existing plaque, so even a small home-care gap looks dramatic. Treatable safely throughout pregnancy.
Poorly Controlled Diabetes
Elevated blood glucose impairs the gum tissue's ability to control inflammation and fight bacteria. Well-controlled diabetics behave like non-diabetics; poorly controlled diabetics see worse, faster gum disease.
Smoking
Smoking masks bleeding (the warning sign) while accelerating bone loss underneath. Smokers often present with later-stage disease because the obvious symptoms were suppressed for years.
Certain Medications
Calcium channel blockers (some blood pressure drugs), certain immunosuppressants, and several anticonvulsants can cause gum overgrowth (drug-induced gingival enlargement) that worsens plaque retention. Bring your medication list.
Genetic Susceptibility
A small proportion of patients have a hereditary tendency toward aggressive gum response. They may need 3-month rather than 6-month recalls for life. Family history of early tooth loss from gum disease is the clue.
Vitamin C Deficiency
True scurvy is rare today, but borderline vitamin C deficiency can amplify gum bleeding. Diet review is part of risk-factor screening for unusual or recurrent cases.
Gingivitis Pricing
Transparent per-service pricing is published on our cost guide. Pricing is quoted in writing after periodontal charting, never on the phone.
How Gingivitis Treatment Works
Five steps in one to two visits. Most patients are done in a single appointment.
Examination + Charting
Six-point pocket measurements per tooth, bleeding-on-probing index, gum margin assessment. X-rays as indicated.
15 minUltrasonic Deep Scaling
Ultrasonic scaler clears plaque and calculus from above and just below the gum line, comfortably and quickly.
20 minManual Hand Scaling
Hand instruments refine the work, removing residual deposits and smoothing the surface near the gum margin.
10 minPolishing
Rubber cup with prophylaxis paste removes surface stain and creates a smooth finish that resists new plaque.
5 minHygiene Coaching
Live demonstration of brushing, individualised interdental brush sizing, flossing technique. The treatment that prevents return.
10 minAftercare and Reversal Timeline
Gingivitis responds quickly when home care changes. Here is what to expect.
Days 1–7: Initial Response
Gums typically start to feel firmer within the first week. Some sensitivity at the gum margin is normal as inflammation resolves. Continue brushing and flossing as coached, even if the area is a little tender.
Days 7–14: Bleeding Resolves
With consistent home care, bleeding usually stops within two weeks. The gum margin returns to a coral pink colour and the rolled, puffy contour shrinks back to a sharper, healthier edge.
Weeks 4–6: Re-Evaluation
A short follow-up visit re-charts pockets and bleeding index to confirm resolution. If anything has not settled, we identify the gap (technique, missed area, risk factor) and adjust.
6 Months: Standard Recall
Most patients move into routine 6-month recall scaling for life. Patients with risk factors (diabetes, smoking, hereditary susceptibility) move to a 3-month schedule.
Who Is, and Isn't, a Good Candidate?
Gingivitis treatment is the right answer for early gum inflammation with no bone loss. Where bone loss is present, the treatment escalates.
You're a Strong Candidate If
You have early gum inflammation: bleeding when brushing or flossing, redness, mild swelling.
Your X-rays (or our charting) show no measurable bone loss.
Pocket depths are 3mm or shallower.
You are willing to change daily home care, brushing technique, interdental cleaning, flossing.
You can attend a 4–6 week follow-up and a 6-month recall.
You Need More Than Gingivitis Treatment If
X-rays show measurable bone loss: the diagnosis is periodontitis, see our deep cleaning and gum treatment page.
Pocket depths exceed 4mm in multiple sites.
You have an underlying systemic cause like uncontrolled diabetes that needs medical management alongside dental treatment.
You have drug-induced gingival enlargement requiring medication review with your physician.
You have a hereditary aggressive course needing 3-month maintenance for life.
Risks & Honest Tradeoffs
Gingivitis treatment is among the safest and most evidence-based procedures in dentistry. Here is the honest framing.
Reversal Depends on Home Care
The cleaning we do removes the deposits. The home care you do prevents them returning. If brushing and flossing technique does not change, gingivitis comes back within months. The professional visit alone is not the cure, it is the reset that lets daily home care work.
Transient Sensitivity
Some patients notice mild sensitivity at the gum margin for a few days after deep scaling, especially where calculus had been masking exposed root surface. This is normal and resolves on its own. Sensitive toothpaste helps in the meantime.
Hereditary Aggressive Course
A minority of patients have a genetic tendency toward more aggressive gum response. They will see gingivitis return faster despite excellent home care, and need 3-month rather than 6-month recalls. Family history of early tooth loss from gum disease is the clue. We adjust the recall schedule, not the patient.
Smoking Masks the Signal
Nicotine constricts gum blood vessels, suppressing the bleeding that would normally warn you of inflammation. Smokers often present with later-stage disease because the warning sign was hidden for years. We will tell you honestly that quitting changes the prognosis more than any clinical treatment.
Cosmetic Change After Treatment
Gums that were swollen and rolled will shrink back to a healthier contour. Some patients perceive this as recession, it is the inflammation resolving, not bone loss. Photographs at the start of treatment make the comparison easy at follow-up.
What We Will Tell You No To
Antibiotics for routine gingivitis, mechanical removal is the treatment. Bleaching or veneers in the presence of active gum inflammation, we treat the gums first. Skipping the hygiene coaching, the cleaning without the coaching is half a treatment.
Senior General Dentists Who Treat Gingivitis
Your Care Team
Dr. Thao Tran
General Dentist. Periodontal therapy, scaling and root planing, gum contouring and periodontal maintenance. Recall-driven approach, the same clinician at every visit so technique gaps are tracked over time.
Dr. Nhung Duong
General Dentist. Gingivitis treatment, periodontal pocket therapy, operculectomy and gummy smile surgery. Honest escalation when charting reveals deeper disease.
Dr. Emily Nguyen
Founding Clinical Director. Oversees clinical standards across all six branches and reviews complex periodontal cases including hereditary aggressive presentations and pregnancy gingivitis.
Common Questions
Are bleeding gums always gingivitis?
Almost always. Healthy gums do not bleed when you brush or floss. Bleeding is the earliest and most reliable sign of gingivitis. Other rare causes include trauma from over-aggressive brushing, certain blood disorders, or medications that affect clotting. If bleeding persists after treatment, we investigate further.
Can I cure gingivitis with mouthwash alone?
No. Mouthwash cannot remove hardened calculus, the cement-like deposit that forms when plaque mineralises. Once calculus has formed, only mechanical scaling can remove it. Mouthwash is useful as an adjunct to brushing and flossing, but it is not a treatment in itself.
Do I need antibiotics for gingivitis?
No, almost never. Gingivitis is a biofilm disease, not an infection that responds to systemic antibiotics. Mechanical removal of plaque and calculus, plus daily home care, is the treatment. Antibiotics are reserved for specific aggressive periodontal cases or acute necrotising gingivitis, both rare.
Will my gums grow back after treatment?
Inflammation reduces, so gums that were swollen and puffy will shrink back to a healthier contour, sometimes appearing slightly lower than before. This is the inflammation resolving, not recession. True receded gums (where bone has been lost) do not regrow. Gingivitis itself involves no bone loss, so the underlying support is intact.
Can pregnant women get gingivitis treatment?
Yes, and they often need it. Pregnancy hormones increase the gum tissue response to plaque, causing pregnancy gingivitis in many expectant mothers. Routine scaling and hygiene coaching are safe throughout pregnancy and reduce both bleeding and the small but measurable association between untreated gum inflammation and adverse pregnancy outcomes. We avoid elective surgical procedures and dental X-rays where possible during pregnancy.
What if I keep getting gingivitis?
Recurrence almost always points to home-care gaps. We re-examine technique, re-size your interdental brushes, and check for risk factors like uncontrolled diabetes, smoking or medications that affect the gums. A small subset of patients have a hereditary aggressive course requiring 3-month rather than 6-month recalls.
When does gingivitis become periodontitis?
There is no fixed timeline, it depends on home care, genetics, smoking and overall health. The transition is defined by measurable bone loss on X-rays and pockets deeper than 4mm. Once bone is lost, it does not regrow predictably. Treating gingivitis early is the only way to prevent the transition. See our gum treatment page for periodontitis treatment.
Can I floss too hard?
Yes. Sawing floss aggressively across the gum margin can cut the tissue and cause recession over time. Correct technique is to ease floss between teeth, hug the side of one tooth with a C-shape, slide gently up and down, then repeat on the neighbouring tooth. We demonstrate this at every gingivitis treatment visit.
Are electric toothbrushes better than manual?
For most patients, yes. Cochrane reviews show oscillating-rotating electric brushes remove more plaque and reduce gingivitis more effectively than manual brushing across short and long-term studies. Sonic brushes perform similarly. Technique still matters more than the tool, a well-used manual brush beats a poorly-used electric.
When should I switch to deep cleaning?
When pocket depths exceed 4mm or X-rays show measurable bone loss, the diagnosis becomes periodontitis and the treatment escalates to scaling and root planing per quadrant or per jaw. Pricing changes accordingly. We re-chart at every visit so the right treatment matches the current state of your gums. See our gum treatment page for periodontitis pricing.
Catch It Early
Stop the Bleeding
Before Bone Is Lost.
Book a free consultation. We will chart your pockets, check for early signs of bone loss, treat the gingivitis the same week if appropriate, and quote in writing before any work begins.