Diagnosed With Gum Disease? Follow These Three Tips
Have you recently visited your dentist after a long time with not having any checkups, and were shocked to find out that you've been diagnosed with gum disease? If so, you may be wondering about what you have done to get yourself into this situation. Gum disease is a type of infection that happens in your gums, often caused by bacteria that gets under your gum line due to poor oral hygiene. Here are some tips you should follow after being told you have gum disease.
Quit Smoking
Even though smoking doesn't leave food particles and bacteria in your mouth, it can make your oral health problems worse. What happens is that the smoke you inhale reduces the amount of blood that flows to your gums, which results in the body being unable to heal as quickly as it did in the past. Smoking will also dry out your mouth and create an environment where bacteria will easily develop. This not only damages the enamel on your teeth, but leads to gum disease. That's why it's a good idea to give up smoking so that you don't increase your chances of causing more oral health problems.
Improve Your Brushing
The reason for getting gum disease was likely due to poor brushing. It's common for people to not brush twice a day, not brush long enough, and not brush properly. This just leads to the bacteria not being removed, which contributes to the overall problem. In addition, flossing is often ignored or rarely done.
Consider switching to an electric toothbrush if you are lacking with your brushing skills. They have built in timers to ensure that you brush for a full two minutes and cover all the areas of your mouth. Newer toothbrushes even have pressure sensors to ensure that you don't apply too much pressure and hurt your gums.
Get Regular Checkups
It is likely that your gum disease problems would have been caught if you made it a habit to go to the dentist in your area regularly. If caught during the early stages, you would have been able to reverse the damage that you caused and have healthy teeth and gums. Now it is more important than ever to get semi-annual inspections to make sure that your gum disease is not getting worse and that the infection is not spreading to other parts of your body. Don't assume that the damage has already been done and there is nothing you can do about it.
Share