How to tell if your gums are healthy?
Your smile is the first thing people may notice about you. Others may even notice the health of your gums when smiling. Healthy gums have a uniform pink color. While inflamed gums will not be as uniform and may look more red around the teeth.
Are your gums bleeding when you floss? Bleeding gums are a sign of gingivitis. Gingivitis is gum inflammation that is usually reversible with diligent flossing for 3-5 days. If the gums continue bleeding during flossing please consult with a dental professional.
Keeping gums healthy is an important part of person’s overall oral health. Gum inflamation if left untreated can lead to deterioration of bone as well as gum recession. This deterioration of bone around teeth is called periodontal disease.
1. Routine Dental visits every 6 months to clean and check your gums and teeth
Preventing gum disease is as simple as seeing your dentist for routine dental check-ups and cleanings every 6 months or twice a year. When gums are healthy, these visits are completely painless. Most patients enjoy getting dental cleanings.
However, if the gums are irritated or inflamed, the cleanings may cause more sensitivity. When periodontal disease is present, the dentist may anesthetize the patient with Lidocaine to perform a painless, yet thorough dental cleaning.
2. Flossing gums and teeth to keep gums healthy
Flossing between teeth as well as the gums is important to maintain your gums healthy. Flossing removes food debris from the gums. If food particles are left for too long under the gums bacteria will accumulate. These bacteria will cause irritation and inflammation to the gums making them less healthy. Flossing also prevents tooth cavities from forming in between your teeth.
To floss properly, wrap the floss around the tooth, by hugging around the tooth scraping along the sides of the tooth in a cleaning motion to clean the gums. Watch the video above for more tips on flossing your teeth for healthy gums.
3. Brush your Teeth and Gums
When brushing your teeth, don’t forget to clean under the gums with a soft bristle tooth brush as well. By holding the tooth brush at a 45 degree angle the bristles will reach under the gum to remove accumulated plaque and tartar.
4. Use A Waterpik to Clean hard to reach Dental Work
Dental work like dental implants, dental bridges, and dental crowns are very hard to clean thoroughly. Patients with dental braces also find it very difficult to clean areas under the gums. A waterpik is very helpful to clean these hard to reach areas. The waterpik shoots water under to flush food particles out. It’s a simple to use tool, yet very effective for keeping healthy gums.
5. Use a Gum Stimulator
Use a gum stimulator to massage gums, which increases the blood flow to the area helping to keep gums healthy. It’s a great tool for hard to reach places to remove plaque build-up. Great for places where gums may have receded creating places for foods to accumulate between teeth.
