Keeping Your Gums Healthy: A Guide

When it comes to dental health, it's not always about your teeth. You also have to take care of your gums. Having that perfect celebrity smile and cavity-free teeth don't make you immune to gum diseases.

Unlike teeth pain, gum diseases are often painless, due to which many people don't bother or have no idea what's going wrong with their gums. It's absolutely important to go to your dentist appointment and do a gum health test.

Here are some essential tips to keep your gums healthy:

Floss

Flossing helps remove the plaque between your teeth, an area that's beyond your toothbrush's reach.

According to ADA, flossing is important to keep gums healthy. Experts recommend flossing at least once a day using string floss, dental picks, or water brushes.

Brushing Your Teeth

Ideally, you should brush your teeth after every meal, but at a minimum, make sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day.

Brushing after a meal will help keep your teeth and gums healthy and clean by removing the plaque trapped in your teeth and gums.

You can use an electric toothbrush to scrub your teeth and tongue. Electric brushes are more effective in removing plaque and reducing gingivitis than manual brushing.

Quit Smoking

Healthy gums—yet another reason to quit smoking!

Smoking also leads to gum diseases as it weakens the immune system, making it difficult to recover from gum infections. Moreover, people who smoke regularly also find it difficult to heal from gum diseases.

Choosing Toothpaste

There are various ingredients that you should look out for if you have sensitive gums or gum infections. If you're using a whitening product, you can look for ingredients such as baking soda or triclosan. Triclosan and baking soda have anti-bacterial properties that keep gums healthy.

Additionally, ensure that the toothpaste you're choosing consists of fluoride and is ADA approved.

Using Mouthwash

There are two types of mouthwash you can use. A cosmetic mouthwash and a therapeutic mouthwash.

Therapeutic mouthwash is used for the following:

Preventing gum infections
Reducing tartar buildup
Reducing plaque buildup
Removing food particles

Remember that mouthwash is not a substitute for flossing or brushing.

Regular Dental Visits

Regular dental visits are crucial for the health of your gums. A professional dentist can assist in detecting any gum infection before it does any damage. Gum infection rarely shows any early symptoms. A professional can identify and help get rid of them before the disease gets serious.

Teeth cleaning during the dental visit also helps remove tartar and plaque that you must have missed while brushing or flossing.