First, let’s talk for a moment about what gingivitis is, just in case you’re not completely clear on the details. Remember that it is the very first stage of gum disease that occurs when bacteria irritate your gums and they become inflamed. You may notice this if your gums appear red, purple, puffy, tender, etc. Or, you might not find out until you see us for a dental checkup … hint, hint! Now that you’re caught up in terms of what this problem is, our Columbia, TN team would like to ensure you know what you need to do to prevent it (good news, it’s easy!).
Brush Your Teeth (Get Your Gumline, Too!)
As we always suggest to patients, remember that your home care is absolutely essential in preventing all manner of oral health related problems, including gingivitis! The first step in that care, which we refer to as dental hygiene, is brushing your smile. However, we encourage you to remember that you aren’t just brushing the chewing surfaces of your teeth or the parts that are visible. Instead, you need to brush every last bit of accessible dental tissue, which includes the tissue along your gumline. When you skip this area (it’s a lot more tissue than you may realize), you leave bacteria-filled plaque to accumulate over time, which leads to gum problems.
Floss Your Smile
We know that you have heard you should floss your smile. However, we don’t know that you realize how absolutely key this is to avoid a whole host of concerns with your oral health, including gingivitis. We remind you that it’s essential. Yes, when you brush along your gumline, you remove a significant amount of plaque. However, you also leave a lot behind, which will become tartar if left in place. When you floss, you remove that soft, sticky substance from teeth, from between teeth, and from just under your gumline, so teeth remain clean and gums remain calm and healthy, rather than becoming inflamed.
Schedule Visits For Cleanings And Checkups
Home care? Yes, it’s so extremely important. However, even though your dental hygiene might be thorough and amazing, it’s not ever going to keep your smile in immaculate condition. Instead, it will keep your smile mostly plaque- and tartar-free. So, what about those little traces that are left? What happens when they stay in contact with gum tissue? The answer is: If you see us twice a year, we remove them, so they don’t lead to gingivitis. If not, the steady accumulation will likely lead to gum concerns. So keep those visits planned!
Keep Your Gums On Track
Remember that it’s absolutely possible and actually quite easy to avoid the first phase of gum disease, called gingivitis. For additional information and care suggestions, schedule a checkup with us soon! To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, call Creekside Family Dental Care in Columbia, TN, today at (931) 388–3384.
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