Gingivitis is one disease that you want to do whatever possible to avoid contracting. Even though if it is caught in its earliest stages, gingivitis can be reversed, most patients do not catch it early enough and end up with advanced stages that not only are not curable, but cause devastating effects to their mouth and body. Luckily, there are simple things you can do at home in order to avoid the risk of contracting gingivitis in the first place.
Brush Often
The number one way to keep gingivitis away is by brushing your teeth. Yes, it is as simple as that. The key, however, is brushing at least twice a day or even better, after every time that you eat. If you avoid brushing because you are too busy or too tired at night, you are putting yourself one step closer to gum disease. This is why we highly encourage our patients to brush their teeth at a minimum of twice a day. It only takes 2 minutes at a time, which means possibly 4 minutes out of your day – can you spare that in order to save your oral health?
Brush Properly
Another way to keep gingivitis away is to brush with the right technique. Simply rubbing the toothbrush over your teeth for a few seconds or even minutes is not enough. You should be using soft, circular motions throughout your mouth. Care should also be taken to hit every area of your mouth; not just the ones that look dirty to you or you feel have food debris stuck in them. Carefully go over every area, paying close attention to the back areas where food likes to lurk, putting you at risk for infection.
Floss Everyday
Flossing is something that many people like to skip. They think that it is not necessary unless they have food stuck in between their teeth. The truth is that flossing is one of the best ways to prevent gum disease from occurring. Floss is the only way to get in between your teeth, removing all debris and bacteria. If you allow bacteria to sit there, it eventually turns into plaque, which puts you at risk for gum disease. This plaque can then only be removed by our professionals, which means it sits in your mouth until you come in for your biannual appointment. That could be a long time to have plaque festering in your mouth.
Keep up with your Appointments
Life is busy today; we understand that. But it is very important for you to keep up with your regular appointments with us. Standard patients are recommended to come in once every six months for a thorough cleaning and exam. But those patients that have the start of gingivitis or are at high risk for the disease are recommended to come in once every 3 months to keep a better handle on the plaque and bacteria in their mouth. This makes it much easier for us to keep your mouth clean and free from the risks of gingivitis rather than waiting for the accumulation to build up over 6 months.
If you are worried about gingivitis, come in and see us. We will help you learn the proper oral hygiene habits to have at home to ensure that you do not become a victim of this disease. Gum disease not only affects your teeth, but sometimes your physical health too. It is not worth risking your health just to shirk on your oral hygiene habits. Give yourself the few minutes a day that it takes to take care of yourself and provide yourself with many happy, healthy years ahead.
Please call us today to schedule your cleaning to prevent gum disease!