Essential Tips to Keep Your Gums Healthy
Your gums hold your teeth in place, protecting the roots while serving as an essential component of your smile. Irritated, damaged, or unhealthy gums require prompt treatment. Unfortunately, nearly half of all adults in the United States have at least a mild form of gum disease. Left untreated, periodontal disease can threaten your overall health and worsen conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Keep your gums healthy starting today with these tips.
Avoid Tobacco Products
Smoking is directly harmful to your gum tissue, but all tobacco products raise your risk of oral cancers and gum disease. Using snuff pouches or chewing tobacco can lead to other conditions like leukoplakia. Following a smoking cessation program and eliminating all forms of tobacco from your life will only improve your oral health, including the state of your gums. It’s highly recommended for anyone undergoing tooth extractions, wisdom tooth removal, and other surgeries. The surgical sites will heal much faster and with less chance of infection.
Brush Twice to Three Times Daily
For most people, brushing in the morning and before bed is sufficient to protect the gums. Patients who have heard from their dentist that they are showing warning signs of gum disease should consider bumping up their routine to include a third brushing. Brushing your teeth after every meal is a good way to protect your gums and clear away plaque before it can harden, but don’t brush more than three times a day to avoid wear on your enamel.
Find a Reliable Way to Floss
Flossing is the single biggest thing you can do to help your gums. Brushing leaves food particles trapped between teeth, but flossing once a day removes them, so you don’t develop bad breath and gum disease issues. If you find flossing difficult or uncomfortable, your dentist can help you find a solution that works for you. That might include a device that holds the floss for you, pre-strung picks, or a water pick device that washes away food debris without discomfort.
Don’t Skip Check-Ups
Your dentist can only help you avoid gum disease if you stick to the recommended check-up schedule. For most teens and adults, visiting once every six months is sufficient. Your dentist may recommend returning more often if there are any warning signs they want to monitor or treatments they need to complete. Bring concerns about your gum health, such as the following warning signs of gingivitis, to get the answers you need rather than waiting until your next visit.
Watch for Signs of Gum Disease
Check your gums daily when you brush your teeth for the early warning signs of gum disease, such as:
- Redness in the margins and around the edges of the gums
- Swelling or tenderness around the gum margins
- Persistent bad breath that returns after brushing
- Visibly receding gums
- Mild bleeding when brushing or flossing.
Don’t wait until the recession spreads or you develop pain in the roots of the teeth. Early detection of gingivitis allows you to get timely treatment, reversing the problem with only a few easy treatments.
Use a Softer Toothbrush
It’s not enough to clean the teeth when brushing twice to three times daily. You also need to stimulate the gums by brushing in large circles so the bristles clean the edges where the gums overlap the teeth. Food particles and plaque build up without proper brushing, allowing bacteria to move in under the gum line. A soft or ultra-soft toothbrush makes achieving this gum stimulation much more comfortable. You’ll still get the same amount of cleaning for your teeth with a significantly reduced chance of irritation when brushing the gum tissue.
Consider Recommended Mouthwashes
Most mouthwashes are only designed to treat bad breath, but some products are prescription and can treat issues like gum recession or pockets of bacteria near the tooth roots. Use these mouthwashes as recommended and for as long as instructed. Your dentist may also recommend over-the-counter products to help remove food particles from between teeth and keep your gums healthy.
Talk with Your Dentist
If you’re concerned about gum health, visit Hebert Family Dentistry. We can give you tailored recommendations and a dental exam simultaneously.