When thinking about ways to improve your dental care, it can be easy to get a little tunnel vision about healthy teeth. After all, when you see advertisements for dental care products like toothpaste, teeth whitening strips, and floss, the focal point is almost always your smile. However, what are you doing to improve the health of your gums as well?
The good news is that some of the practices for healthy teeth also produce healthy gums. In today’s blog from our periodontics team, we’ll take a look at five ways you can start to be intentional about taking better care of your gums.
If you are already experiencing any of these signs of gum disease such as inflamed or tender gums, reddening gum line, or you bleed from the gums when eating or brushing, schedule an appointment with us today.
If You’re a Smoker, Consider Quitting
Smoking is terrible for the health of your gums; there just isn’t any other way to put it. Smoking correlates strongly with the onset of gingivitis, the early stages of full-blown gum disease. Smoking also inhibits your immune system, reducing your ability to fight the bacterial infections in your gums that accelerate the effects of gum disease. And finally, smoking makes it harder for your gums to heal from the damage that has been done to them.
For the sake and health of your teeth and gums, if you are a smoker, we encourage you to find resources to help you quit.
Use a Flouride Toothpaste
If you’re not brushing your teeth twice a day, it’s time to begin. Tooth brushing habits are one of the largest single indicators of dental health (or lack thereof). Make sure that when you are brushing you are getting the most out of it by choosing the right toothpaste.
Toothpaste that contains fluoride can help to strengthen your teeth and provide a higher level of protection against plaque build-up and the onset of gingivitis. Make sure to check the ingredients and presence of the ADA approval seal on your next toothpaste purchase.
Make Sure That You Are Flossing
The American Dental Association recommends that you floss at least once daily to keep a clean gum line and reduce plaque buildup between your teeth. It doesn’t matter whether this is added into your morning, midday, or evening routine, as long as you make sure to get in a good deep flossing session once a day.
Best of all, with many convenient, single-use flossing products, you can take your floss with you on the go. Water picks also accomplish the same benefits of flossing and are becoming a popular option as well.
Add An ADA Approved Mouthwash To Your Routine
Once viewed by many users as little more than a remedy for bad breath or a poor-substitute for brushing before work in the morning, dentists and periodontists have worked hard to change public perception. ADA approved mouthwashes can actually fight bacterial growth in your mouth, helping to keep it clean, fight bad breath, and reduce the likelihood of tooth decay and gingivitis — both of which are primarily caused by bacteria from plaque.
Rinsing with mouthwash can also help to remove food particles and other debris from your teeth and gums that may have been missed while brushing.
Keep Up With Regular Dental Cleaning and Checkups
The final element in a successful and thorough plan for promoting the health of your gums is regularly scheduled dental cleanings and checkups. Even with an impeccable home routine and dedication to gum and tooth care, you can still develop gum problems.
Your dentist can catch these problems early and help you treat them before they develop into serious dental health issues. Dental cleanings remove tartar build-up from your teeth – something that can’t really be accomplished at home.
Schedule your appointment with the gum health specialists at any of our convenient locations today to start taking better care of your gums.
