The gums are one of the most useful and essential parts of the body. Despite this, they are often at the tail end of neglect. However, engaging in this type of neglect can have devastating impacts on the health of your mouth and the rest of your body. So, let’s see how to improve gum health.

Maintaining high levels of gum health is essential to long-term dental health. Engaging in a set of daily practices can help you ensure that you are doing your part to maintain the highest level of gum health possible. If you are worried that your gums are suffering, take a look at this guide that describes how to improve gum health through periodontal treatment.

Why Does Gum Health Matter?

The gums are an essential piece of good dental and general health. The gums can easily incur injury and disease through poor dental health, which in turn can lead to a variety of health consequences for both the teeth and the rest of the body.

What Is Gum Disease?

The primary source of gum disease is when plaque builds up under and along the gum lines. If this plaque is left unaddressed, it can impact the health of the gums in detrimental ways, producing some of the following symptoms:

• Tenderness
• Redness
• Swelling
• Bleeding
• Inflammation

In mild cases of gum disease, this damage is reversible due to the regenerative nature of the tissues of the gums. However, severe gum disease can lead to more serious conditions such as periodontitis, which can ruin and impact the gums and teeth.

Signs of Gum Disease

There are several signs to stay wary of that can indicate that you may be developing gum disease. Some of the following can be indicators that this is occurring:

• Separating or loosening teeth
• Gums that bleed easily
• Gums that are swollen, red, or tender
• Gums that are pulling away from your teeth
• Experiencing consistently bad breath or taste in your mouth

Of course, there are other conditions or elements of dental hygiene that can produce these kinds of impacts. If you suspect that any of the symptoms that you might be experiencing could be because of gum disease, scheduling an inspection from your dentist can help you determine what is at play.

How to Improve Gum Health

There are several steps you can take to improve the health of your gums and prevent the development of gum disease. Some of the below are considered important steps in this process:

Receive Regular Dental Cleanings

Attending your regularly scheduled dental cleanings is perhaps the most important step you can take in terms of maintaining long-term dental health. This is due to the fact that a professional dentist has access to tools and cleaning methods that are not available to a layperson.

Floss Regularly

Flossing is another essential element of dental health that can help to prevent the development of gum disease. Flossing helps remove the plaque that settles between the teeth in the gums, which can quickly become one of the primary sources of gum disease.

Brush Twice a Day

Ensuring that you brush your teeth regularly is another step you can take to help ensure that you do not develop gum disease. Keeping a regular schedule with your brushing is an effective method for keeping your teeth and gums at the highest level possible.

Quit Smoking

Smoking can have a very detrimental impact on the health of your gums and teeth (along with most other systems of the body). Smoking, in particular, is associated heavily with expediting the rate of gum disease and exacerbating its symptoms. In addition, smoking makes it more difficult for your gums to naturally regenerate on their own.

Use Dentist-Recommended Toothpaste

Your dentist may have recommendations for you in terms of using a specific type of toothpaste. Following their advice in this regard will likely have beneficial results in terms of your attempts to stay free of gum disease.

Mouthwash

Mouthwashing is another critical step in maintaining good dental health and preventing the development of gum disease. Ask your dentist about any therapeutic mouthwash options that they might be privy to or recommend. Maintaining a healthy habit in this regard can help you maintain optimal dental health by ridding the mouth of excess plaque and tartar.

The Best Dentist in LA

LA Wilshire Periodontics serves as one of the most highly regarded dentists in LA. If you are suffering from poor gum health or any other type of dental health issue, contact our office today to make an appointment with our dentist and retake control of your health.