Not only is it important to keep your teeth healthy by brushing and flossing regularly and properly, but it’s also very important to give your gums the tender loving care they need to stay healthy. Sometimes brushing and flossing isn’t enough, and you have to go above and beyond what you have done for years to keep your gums healthy, especially if you’ve been experiencing some problems like tender or bleeding gums.
3 Tips to Follow for Healthy Gums
If you are looking for a dentist in Denver due to painful, bleeding gums, you’ve come to the right place. Ascent Dental Group has a superb team of dental professionals with experience in cosmetic and general dentistry. Please read on to learn some tips about how to keep your gums (and teeth) healthy between visits to your dentist.
Use a toothbrush with soft, round bristles, so your gums are not hurt while brushing. Also, criss-crossed bristles are recommended because they help get to the hard-to-reach places around your gums and teeth, and the criss-crossed bristles remove plaque in between the teeth.
Don’t smoke or, if you do smoke, quit as soon as possible because smoking wreaks havoc on your gums. Smokers are more prone than non-smokers to have calculus, which is the hardened plaque on your teeth that can only be removed during a professional cleaning. If the calculus is not removed and stays below your gum line, the bacteria in the calculus can destroy your gum tissue and cause your gums to pull away from your teeth (known as “receding gums”). When your gums pull away from the teeth (recede), periodontal pockets form and fill with disease-causing bacteria that can make you very ill.
Destroy bacteria nests; a bacteria nest is a hotspot where bacteria live (your gum line, for example). If you don’t destroy bacteria nests, they will turn into plaque and then into calculus, which is difficult to remove and can only be done during a professional cleaning. To break up bacteria nests, angle your toothbrush at 45 degrees against the area of attack and make very quick motions to help break up the nests. Repeat this technique a few times until your gum line feels clean and not sticky to the touch.
You can learn everything you need to know about oral health at Ascent Dental Group in Cherry Creek. If you’re looking for a dentist in Denver, please contact our office today and we’ll get you in as quickly as we can.