Your gums are an important part of your oral health. They surround the teeth, giving them additional support and preventing bacteria from getting to the roots of your teeth and causing problems.
In fact, your oral health has been shown to directly affect your overall health. If you look after your oral health you can live longer.
That’s why you need to know these simple ways to keep your gums healthy.
- Brush Lightly
One of the biggest problems that affects roughly half of children and adults is brushing too hard. You make think that brushing hard removes all the plaque and leaves your teeth clean. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
If you brush too hard you’ll damage the gums. In fact, if you brush straight after eating you can damage the enamel on your teeth. This will allow greater numbers of bacteria in, increasing your plaque buildup and potential problems.
Brush twice a day but keep it light, hold your tooth brush with one finger and your thumb to get the pressure right.
- Floss Daily
Alongside brushing you should be flossing every day. This is a great way of removing plaque from between your gums and, therefore, preventing it from causing issues.
Flossing is something that you should start as a child, this helps it to become a habit that you undertake for life, your teeth will thank you for it.
- Visit Your Dentist
It’s vital that you find a good dentist, such as this dentist Neutral Bay. They will check your teeth once or twice a year and can capture any issues early. This includes any inflammation in your gums or signs of gum disease.
The good news is that gum disease can be eliminated if you catch it early, that’s why you should never miss a dental appointment.
Of course, your dentist will also check for any issues with your teeth. Catching these early will help to protect your teeth and gums, allowing you to keep them into old age.
- Give Up Smoking
Smoking is generally considered bad for your health. But, you may not have realized that it is also detrimental to your gums. The nicotine opens the pores in your gums, allowing more bacteria into them and potentially your blood stream. The result is bad gums and an increased risk of overall health issues.
- Mouthwash Can Help
There are several different types of mouthwash available on the market. Most are designed to kill unwanted bacteria in your mouth and even help to remove plaque and other debris from your teeth and gums. That’s a good thing. However, it is important that you choose one which is alcohol-free.
This will increase its effectiveness and help you to protect your gums.
Final Thoughts
Looking after your gums is important if you want to look after your health and keep your teeth into old age. The good news is looking after teeth and gums is entwined. It’s also something that doesn’t take long to do, just commit to doing it every day.