The best way to prevent gum (periodontal) disease is simple.
Keeping Your Mouth Healthy
Take good care of your teeth and gums. Missing one day of brushing and flossing can be enough to allow plaque to harden, encouraging bacteria to spread through your mouth.
However, sometimes developing gum disease cannot be so easily helped or rectified. Some patients may be genetically predisposed, or crooked teeth, for example, can lead to build up.
The best preventative strategy choice any patient can make is booking in first to see a dentist and a hygienist.
Can gum disease be prevented?
Of course, through careful care and cleaning, gum disease can be easily prevented by brushing your teeth twice daily. Using an interdental cleaner or flossing the teeth will also help keep gum disease at bay.
The first stages of prevention begin at home. So, if you would like to keep your teeth for a lifetime, follow the below guidelines that dentists approve.
Top tips for keeping gums healthy include
- Brush teeth after meals, remove food debris and plaque trapped between teeth.
- Clean your tongue (bacteria often hides there too).
- Floss once daily – don’t forget to reach down along the gum line.
- Eliminate the risks such as smoking and diet.
- See a periodontist and hygienist regularly.
See more ways here.
Preventing gum disease once it’s already begun
If you are doing your daily steps and still experiencing some bother, you will know that you can solely do nothing to alleviate the problem.
Patients in this instance are likely experiencing moderate or advanced gum disease and will need dental intervention before the problem grows out of control.
Treatments often prescribed
- Scaling and planning for plaque and tartar removal
- Laser periodontal therapy to rebuild and regenerate gums
- Surgical methods like bone or gum grafts to replace gum that’s been lost
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Can you reverse periodontal disease?
The best way to reverse periodontitis is to prevent it from taking over your mouth in the first place.
In the early stages, much can be done to reverse the effects and symptoms of the inflammation. In the gingivitis stage, dentists can control the progression of the disease and stop it in its tracks.
You will receive an early diagnosis by seeing the dentist regularly, which can make all the difference in reversing gum disease quickly.
Most patients may even be able to manage it from home.
Preventing gum disease naturally
Many patients initially wish to cure gum disease without a dentist. While rigorous oral hygiene will go a long way if you have already begun to develop periodontal disease, it is highly recommended that you ask for the intervention of a professional.
A healthy diet will also be necessary for good oral health and taking care of your body.
We cannot stress the importance of visiting a dentist regularly to have your teeth professionally cleaned and polished.
Even though brushing and flossing can keep plaque in check, your dentist will be the only one with the right tools that will effectively remove tartar that’s been built up.
The right time to visit the dentist is as soon as you start noticing symptoms!
Give yourself the best chance at preventing the development of the disease before it is too late.
Why you need to understand plaque
Gums attach to the teeth at a lower point. This forms a space called the sulcus, where food often gets trapped.
When the food is not cleaned away, it becomes trapped in this space and then causes a gum infection (gingivitis).
Plaque is a very thin film of bacteria which constantly forms on the surface of the teeth.
As this plaque advances, it gets harder and turns into tartar. This cannot be removed through cleaning alone.
Left unchecked and ignored, gingivitis can quickly cause the gums to separate from the teeth, which leaves the tooth vulnerable as it becomes unstable, loose and wobbly.
This is often a sure sign of receding gums. If the infection progresses, you will ultimately lose your teeth.
The dangers of doing nothing at all!
Gum disease is not a problem you should ignore. That’s because if it has advanced to a certain stage, then there is nothing that any dentist can do to reverse it.
Gums do not grow back, nor do teeth; tooth loss is a big consequence of gum disease if left to progress.
When periodontal disease is left untreated, the inflammation can cause gums and jawbone to deteriorate and deplete. The bone in the jaw does not grow back either.
Some treatments can raise the gums to close the spaces and pockets caused by gum disease, just as bone grafts can be used to restore bone in the jaw to support further procedures like dental implants, which replace missing teeth. More.
Acting fast and actively working to eradicate gum disease in its early stage can save you thousands of pounds in further dental reconstructive costs if you allow gum disease to progress.
By following the above advice and booking a dentist to clean your gums and teeth, you are much more likely to avoid common problems associated with gum disease.
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