Healthy gums are a huge component of a healthy smile and it's important that we take the time to educate ourselves on the necessary steps to maintain healthy gums and and preventing ailments such as gum disease. Here are a few easy tips to keeping those gums, pearly whites, and overall oral health in tip-top shape.
Keeping Your Gums Healthy
A few steps we recommend taking to avoid gum disease are:
- Brushing your teeth twice daily
- Clean between your teeth with floss at least once a day.
- See your dentist for an examination and traditional cleaning on a regular basis.
- Stopping the use of smoking or chewing tobacco
- Showing your dentist or hygienist how you brush and clean between your teeth and gums and ask if you need to make any improvements.
Health conditions like AIDS or cancer, which reduce your body’s ability to fight infection, can increase your risk of developing gum disease. Some researchers also have noticed that people who have diabetes often have gum disease as well. Some medications, like antiseizure or blood pressure drugs, can affect your gums, too. The gums also are very sensitive to hormonal changes, such as those that occur during pregnancy. Thus, it is important for pregnant women to see their dentist.