5 Tips For Periodontal Maintenance

Although you may pay close attention to the health and appearance of your teeth, how much attention are you paying to your gums? Periodontal disease is relatively common in adults, with about 46 percent of the population showing early warning signs. While periodontal disease is treatable, it can lead to pain and other serious conditions, such as tooth loss or secondary infections.

Fortunately, preventing this disease is relatively easy. Just follow these five tips for maintaining a healthy set of teeth and gums, and you should be able to avoid the worst effects.

Step One: Brush and Floss Daily

Whenever you go to the dentist, they constantly remind you to brush and floss your teeth every day, usually twice a day. There’s a reason why these actions are so widely recommended – because they work. Your mouth is relatively low-maintenance as long as you can remove plaque and other debris (including germs) from your teeth consistently.

Flossing is often even more important than brushing because it gets between the teeth and at the base of the gums. This way, you can remove more plaque and ensure a cleaner, fresher mouth. Since bacteria love to collect at the point where teeth and gums meet, flossing helps you kill them before they can spread.

Step Two: Avoid Smoking

If you are a smoker, you’re at a much higher risk of developing periodontal disease.

To make matters worse, your risk level is elevated even if you brush and floss every day. So, you could take care of your dental hygiene very well and still wind up with periodontal disease because of your smoking habit.

Step Three: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Yes, fruits and vegetables are healthy for you in general, but they can also lead to better oral health, particularly when talking about your gums. Not only can fiber-rich fruits like apples and pears naturally clean your teeth, but vitamin C can help keep your gums healthy.

Overall, you want to mix and match fruits and vegetables regularly so you don’t eat too much natural sugar at once. Also, it’s imperative to note that the benefits only occur when you eat these foods naturally, not if you drink fruit juice or smoothies.

Step Four: Avoid Grinding or Brushing Too Hard

Your tooth enamel is tough, but it’s constantly bombarded by various elements, leading to a lot of wear and tear. One of the easiest ways to increase this wear and tear is to grind your teeth or brush them too hard. While you need some force to remove plaque and bacteria, too much effort can cause more damage than it prevents.

You may also need to confirm whether you grind your teeth at night. If so, you should wear a mouth guard to keep your teeth apart so you won’t grind them down too much over time.

Step Five: Get Regular Dental Checkups

Even the most diligent people can develop various oral diseases, including periodontal disease. While brushing, flossing, and eating right can go a long way, these practices are only part of the equation.

Overall, annual or semi-annual dental checkups will help spot potential issues and allow you to fix them before they get out of control. In addition to preventing periodontal disease, checkups can also look for cavities and other oral hygiene issues. If you can discover and fix these problems right away, you can avoid expensive (and discomforting) surgery and procedures later on.

Schedule Your Periodontal Appointment Today!

Periodontal disease is nothing to dismiss, so you should pay close attention to your teeth and gums. If you start to notice any warning signs (pain in the gums or gums that bleed easily), it’s time to schedule a checkup.

Fortunately, in most cases, you can reverse most wear and tear and still prevent the worst effects of periodontal disease. However, maintenance requires constant vigilance, so make sure to create healthy routines. When it’s time for a checkup, let our dental team serve you!