How to Have Healthy Gums

How to Have Healthy Gums

There is so much more in having good oral health than just having healthy teeth. Oral health is a combination of healthy teeth, healthy gums, good position of the teeth and balanced bite. Dental patients often forget that having teeth without cavities is not going to be a guarantee that their teeth will last for a whole lifetime. Number one cause of losing teeth is periodontitis, and a dental therapist at Dental Suite Clinic is there to help you overcome this disease.

Healthy gums vs. unhealthy gums

If a person doesn’t brush their teeth regularly, particles of food will remain on the teeth. Those particles are a perfect environment for bacteria. The combination of food and bacteria is called plaque. After a few hours, bacteria multiply and causes the inflammation of the gums – gingivitis. This inflammation is the response of the human immune system. After a few days, plaque begins to harden and become tartar. At this point, a dental patient can’t remove the tartar with teeth brushing. Bacteria remain on the gums and the inflammation becomes bigger.

What is a healthy gums color?

Healthy gums are firm and pink. There shouldn’t be any swollen parts of it, especially not on the edge of the gums, near the tooth. Also, a sign of healthy gums is the absence of bleeding and pain. In these pictures of healthy gums, you can see the difference between healthy gums and gingivitis.

Is gingivitis reversible?

At the point where the inflammation is spread only through the gums, this disease is reversible. After having professional teeth cleaning done by a dentist, your gums will recover from the gingivitis. However, if the inflammation is not treated, bacteria and their toxins can spread deeper in the tissue, through the bone and teeth ligaments. This disease is now called periodontitis, and at this point, it becomes irreversible. Part of the jaw bone that is supporting the teeth is being decomposed and this could lead to a loss of the tooth. Teeth cleaning and scaling can help with stopping this disease to spread deeper in the bone structure, but the lost part of the bone can never be healed by itself. This could only be done with a dentistry surgical procedure, by adding artificial bone.

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How to Have Healthy Gums

How to get healthy gums again?

Here is some advice from this dental clinic, on how to keep your gums healthy:

1. Maintain good oral hygiene – If you brush your teeth every day at least twice, you will keep your teeth clean and that way there will be no food particles or bacteria to cause the inflammation for the gums. It is very important to learn your children to maintain their oral hygiene from early childhood.

2. Floss and use interdental brushes – spaces and gaps between two teeth are a perfect place for food to stick and for bacteria to attack. Keep these spaces clean and prevent any problems with your gums and teeth.

3. Use mouthwashes – these liquids are a very good alternative for teeth cleaning if you are away from your bathroom and toothbrush. Swishing mouthwash through your mouth will rinse the bacteria and food particles. However, nothing can replace good teeth brushing, so even if you like to use mouthwash, at the and of the day, brush your teeth thoroughly.

4. Stop smoking – this habit is bad not only for your general health but also for the health of your mouth.

5. Have a dental checkup twice a year – this way, your dentist will clean and polish your teeth and you will prevent any kind of inflammation. This is also very important for dental patients that already have periodontitis so that disease doesn’t spread deeper in the tissues.

6. Breathe through your nose – breathing through your mouth will cause dry gums and tongue. This is also a good environment for bacteria. If you breathe through your nose, saliva will protect your gums all the time.

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If you are worried because of the color of your gums or you have noticed that your gums are bleeding when you wash your teeth, go to a dental therapist to check your oral health. Dentist at Dental Suite Clinic will help you overcome your oral health problems and teach you how to take care of your teeth.

Picture No. 1 – https://www.carsondds.com/dental-services/common-dental-problems/gingivitis-periodontal-disease.html

Picture No. 2 – http://www.dentinnovation.it/1884/cosa-causa-parodontite/