Oral health isn’t just about keeping your teeth clean. It also involves taking care of your gums which can be sensitive at times.
A majority of oral problems can start from the gums which are why keeping them healthy is a must if you want perfectly healthy teeth.
Apart from keeping up with your regular dentist visits, it’s also important that you do other things to help take care of your gums.
You can greatly improve your gum and teeth health in 5 simple steps.
- How to brush the right way – most people are doing it wrong.
Brushing is the most important thing you can do to keep your entire mouth clean.
If you don’t brush at least twice a day, plaque will begin to build up between your teeth and your gums. Once the plaque hardens, your gums are more prone to various diseases such as gingivitis (gum inflammation) and periodontitis (inflammation of gums, ligaments and bone).
Tooth brushing technique
- Place the brush 45-degree angle to the gum – use a gentle circular motion at the gum line.
- Brush outside and inside surfaces of all lower teeth
- Brush outside and inside surfaces of all upper teeth
- For the chewing surfaces a firm back and forth motion
- and do not forget to clean your tongue.
2. Floss At Least Once A Day
Did you know that brushing will not remove all the food particles within your mouth?
Once they make their way into your gums, your only option at cleaning them is to floss. Ideally, you should floss at night before you go to bed so that you’ll no longer be eating anything until morning.
Flossing technique
- Use 30-45cm piece of floss
- Wrap the floss around the middle finger and hold firmly between your thumbs and index finger
- Guide the floss between teeth, slide it up-and-down the side of each tooth, curving it around the base of the tooth and gently beneath the gum line.
- Make sure you use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth, and do not snap, or force it between the teeth, as this may injure the gum tissue.
Mastering flossing can be difficult for some patients, so there are interdental brushes and other ways the interdental plaque. The dentist will guide through it, as sometimes the use of interdental brushes and floss might be recommended.
3. Watch What You Eat
The food that you eat can affect the health of your teeth and gums.
Everyone knows this but just in case you’ve forgotten, avoid eating foods that are too high in sugar. Also, the frequent intake of any food throughout the day should be avoided or diminished. These can help increase plaque buildup and it can result in various teeth problems as well. By eating healthy and having three meals a day, you’ll be able to support your gums easily.
Some of the food that you should eat includes:
- Dairy Products – Foods that are high in calcium are good for your teeth. However, they also contain healthy bacteria that are good for your overall oral health.
- Fruits And Vegetables – Fibre-rich fruits and veggies can help prevent plaque build-up. Eating them while they’re fresh and crunchy can also make your teeth cleaner and help support your gums as well.
- Nuts – Nuts are a great alternative to other unhealthy snacks. They are low on sugar but are high in calcium and fibre which both help support your oral health.
- Tea – Instead of drinking soda and other sugary drinks, drink tea instead. It’s reaching in polyphenols. This help prevents the bacteria that encourage plaque growth. In doing so, it makes cavities and gum inflammation less likely to occur.
- Use Antibacterial Mouthwash
Flossing and brushing when done properly will keep you out of trouble most of the time.
Mouthwashes are not always recommended and generally, they are not needed if a good brushing and flossing with fluoridating toothpaste are done.
If you are interested in using a mouth rinse, it’s recommended that you consult with your dentist about which antibacterial mouthwash is best for you. There are some that can be too harsh on your oral health which is obviously a bad thing.
- Avoid Smoking
Smoking is a bad habit that results in many downsides for your body. We’re not just talking about your lungs too. Smoking can ruin your oral health and it can result in serious consequences for your gums as well.
Smoking also weakens your body’s immune system. Once this happens, it will be way harder for your gums to fight off bacteria and germs that are residing within your mouth.
It’s a bad habit to take up and you should seek professional help if you’re having trouble stopping yourself from doing it.
Of course, the best tip we can give you aside from these five is that you should visit your dentist regularly. Smile Ville’s dentists are readily available to help you treat your gums and teeth. Don’t let oral problems get worse as they can be more painful and costly to treat if left unchecked.
Sometimes gum disease can be part of your family’s genetics, please consult our dentist for more information about this topic as it is broader and more complex to explain.
