How To Get Healthier Gums?

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    dentist checking healthy gums

    For most people, the most important benefit one can get from visiting the dentist is a bright and attractive smile. They don’t care whether this is done by teeth whitening or gum contouring.  While bright and white smiles are great, one can only really get them by having good and healthy teeth. Those teeth can only be gotten by having healthy gums. This means that if you’re interested in having a bright and attractive smile, you’ve got to be interested in keeping your gums healthy.

    The only way to keep your gums healthy is by practicing good oral hygiene. You cannot hope to have great dental hygiene without protecting your teeth and acting in your own best interest. Since there’s no one way to practice this, we’ll be going through six ways to practice great oral hygiene and get healthier gums.

    Brush Your Teeth Properly

    This may sound fantastic, but did you know that only about one in ten Americans brush their teeth regularly? It’s little wonder dentists often have their hands full with people with dental problems. The easiest way to develop a dental issue is to avoid brushing properly.

    According to the American Dental Association (ADA) people should brush their teeth twice daily at 45-degree angles to the gums with a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, and replace said toothbrush quarterly. Additionally, they recommend that the toothbrush should be moved in short strokes and that people should pay attention to cleaning the insides of the front teeth. 

    Floss Daily

    Most people don’t floss daily and around a third say they never floss. Again, that’s probably one of the reasons why dentists never run out of patients to treat. If you want to have stronger and healthier gums, you need to floss daily. The ADA recognizes the need for people to floss every day and believes it is an important aspect of oral hygiene.

    Flossing is important because it removes plaques and food from between the gums and the teeth. If these particles are not removed, it can lead to tartar, which can only be removed by dentists. So sooner or later, you may have to visit a dentist since tartar can lead to serious gum disease.

    toothbrush for healthy gums

    Use A Mouthwash

    The ADA says there are only two kinds of mouthwash, which are the therapeutic and cosmetic ones. Since both are available over the counter, you can make the choice yourself.

    Therapeutic mouthwashes are advised because they help with preventing the disease, reducing the rate of tartar build-up, reduce the plaque on the teeth, and finally remove food particles from the mouth. However, you should know that mouthwashes aren’t a replacement for flossing or brushing. No matter how many times you use them, you still have to brush and floss.

    Unlike therapeutic mouthwash, cosmetic mouthwash only addresses short-term bad breath problems. They have no chemical or biological application beyond the temporary benefit they offer.

    Stop Smoking

    Smoking is bad for a lot of reasons. While the fact that it can lead to cancer is one of the most popular negative consequences, smoking is also bad because it leads to terrible oral hygiene. It can lead to gum disease because it weakens the immune system too. You should also stop using other tobacco products because they can increase your risk of gum disease.

    Rinse Your Mouth Out Properly

    Most people rinse out their mouths immediately after they finish brushing. While that’s conventional wisdom, it isn’t quite right. When you rinse away the paste, you also rinse away the fluoride that comes with it. So you should probably stop rinsing your mouth out so quickly after brushing.  

    Additionally, you could try rinsing your mouth out after every meal, as this will wash out food and bacteria that may lead to the build-up of tartar.

    Regular Dental Checkups

    Many people only go to the dentist when they have a problem. While that may be convenient in the short term, it could lead to long-term problems and a need for complicated dental procedures. By going for regular dental checkups, you’re allowing your dentist the chance to check out your teeth and see whether there are things you’re doing (or not doing) that could lead to problems with your gums down the line. This will end up reducing the chances of complicated procedures later.

    Another reason why you should go for regular dental checkups is that they always include a professional cleaning session. It is during this session that dentists can remove tartar from the teeth and as such guarantee better gum health.

    If you refuse to go for regular dental checkups, you may have to be forced to go for one by deteriorating gum health. And then you may have to undergo invasive procedures that could even require dental implants!