7 Ways for Reducing the Risk of Gum Disease at early stages

When it comes to your oral health, it is not all about keeping your teeth clean. Gums are the primary source behind the occurrence of oral issues that include tooth sensitivity and bad breath. Though you might have cavities in your teeth, that does not justify for you to be immune to gum diseases.

Gum diseases begin discretely which makes it difficult to identify the early stages of gum diseases. You tend to miss the signs of gum diseases as they begin without ado.

How to identify the early signs of gum diseases?

Gum diseases start when plaque accumulates under the teeth or along the gum line. Plaque is a thin sticky film line that is a lining of bacteria that eventually thickens in size. This bacterium causes gum diseases that can hurt the base of the teeth and may lead to gingivitis – an early stage of periodontal diseases as well as may cause teeth to decay.

• Inflamed/swollen gums.
• Bleeding gums while brushing your teeth.
• Bleeding while flossing.
• Red gums instead of pink.

Periodontal diseases are the advanced form of gum disease that impacts your bone that holds your teeth in place. This happens in extreme cases when your gums are intensively swollen and bleeding even when left untouched.

The damage initiates with the gums, tissues, and then the bone. Since our gums and bone are NOT connected, these damages are completely reversible. Book an appointment with Kanata Highlands Dental to get the status of your oral health TODAY.

How can you prevent gum diseases?

Periodontitis or Periodontal diseases are the last stages of gum diseases. To know if you have reached that stage, look for these signs:

• Consistently bad taste or breath.
• Separating or loose permanent teeth.
• Gums that easily bleed.
• Gums that are swollen, red, or tender.
• Gums that have pulled away from your teeth.

To know how to prevent gum diseases, follow these steps below:

1. Brush at the gumline.

Make sure to brush your teeth twice a day! That is a good head start to begin with. You can prevent 60% of gum diseases by sparing 10 minutes for your oral health that must include brushing twice a day and flossing once a day.

Now, there is a way to brush your teeth that would prevent plaque from collecting at the base of your teeth. This is the area where gingivitis starts from and this is the area that is highly neglected when brushing the teeth. You would want to place your toothbrush in your mouth, on your teeth at an angle of 45 degrees that allows half of the bristles to clean the enamel of your teeth and the half covers your gums. Then shimmy your brush in a circular back and forth motion to clean your gums as well as the teeth.

2. Protect your oral calcium!

Gingivitis is the beginning of what scientifically is called – Periodontal Osteoporosis. Over time, the bones in our body can shrink and become brittle enough to break. This is what can happen to our jawbone as well. When you exercise daily and keep your body in motion, the bones of the body are strengthened and remain well maintained.

For our jawbone, you need to preserve the bone by maintaining your calcium intake to 800 milligrams a day and by not smoking. Calcium strengthens the alveolar bone in the jaw that helps to hold all your teeth in place. This preserves the bone and reduces the chances of losing teeth.

Including dairy products in your diet is the best source of calcium, but several other sources of calcium and minerals include salmon, almonds, leafy green vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale are foods that are good for your teeth and gums.

3. What vitamins do you need?

Vitamin C and vitamin D are what you need to keep your gums healthy. But that does not mean you consume vitamin C-rich fruit juices daily twice. These fruit juices are high sources of citric acid that should not be leftover in the mouth for longer hours.

Note: if you drink Vitamin C-rich fruit juices like Orange juice every day in the morning, make sure to clean your mouth thoroughly as the citric acid in the juice can decompose your teeth if exposed for long hours

Vitamin C does not cure gingivitis, but it does help to cure bleeding gums by evacuating the bacteria from the gums. A daily dose of 100-200 milligrams of Vitamin C is recommended for your oral health.

Vitamin D reduces the chances of gingivitis and further prolonging periodontal diseases by 20% as vitamin D works as an anti-inflammatory agent that keeps the gums healthy by reducing inflammation and swelling and prevents the gums from bleeding.

4. Importance of Mouthwash.

Along with brushing and flossing, including mouthwash in your daily habit is a plus. It is recommended to use mouthwash in the morning after brushing as it rinses your mouth off any bacteria that may be left behind and cause you to have bad breath. Other benefits include:

• Help reduce plaque.
• Prevents gingivitis.
• Inhibits tartar development.
• Keeps the enamel protected.
• No bad breath.

Mouthwash is not a substitute for flossing. Make sure to rinse your mouth well with tap water after using a mouthwash. Look for an alcohol-free mouthwash and ADA seal which means it is safe and effective. For any questions over mouthwashes, call us to know about the mouthwash best suited for you.

5. Pay attention to your tongue.

Your tongue is a soft tissue organ that contains several ridges that can store bacteria on the surface. Scraping your tongue is necessary to remove bacteria from its surface that can spread along the gum line and affect the entire mouth. The tongue is also responsible for the cause of your bad breath.

You can use a small spoon, tongue depressor, or toothbrush. There are special tongue scrapers available in the market that are specially designed for this purpose.

6. Importance of flossing.

There is no excuse to avoid flossing. You must floss daily once to scrape off the food particles stuck in between your teeth that give rise to the production of bacteria at the gum line that cause cavities and other gum diseases.

7. Dental clean-up appointments.

Above mentioned methods are some ways that you can prevent gum diseases but not treat gum diseases. You may not know what your dentist can see that can lead to serious periodontal diseases that could lead to losing your teeth.

Look for the above-mentioned signs that may indicate if you are suffering from gum disease.

AtKanata Highlands Dental Carewe offer the best service to maintain the shine of your smile.

For more information, contact us today at (613)-270-1001 or book an appointment today!