Gum disease can be a major problem that can negatively impact your overall health. Your mouth is a gateway to your health. In fact, gum disease can even lead to heart disease. Because of this, it is very important to keep your gums as healthy as possible.

What Is Gum Disease?

Gum disease is something that starts when there is significant plaque buildup along the gum line. This is an issue because plaque is a sticky and hard to remove substance that can be filled with bacteria. Therefore, it can lead to tooth decay and even result in infections. It can eat away at your gums and even cause a weakening of your teeth and jawbone.

When it gets bad enough, this buildup can lead to gingivitis which is the early onset of gum disease.

You know you are suffering from gingivitis when your gums are constantly inflamed, when your gums bleed, when you brush or floss your teeth, and when your gums are even tender to the touch. When you get to the advanced stages of gum disease, your entire jawbone can be at risk.

How To Prevent Gum Disease?

1. Floss, Floss, Floss.

The best thing that you are going to be able to do in order to prevent gum disease in the first place would be to floss consistently. Not only do you want to floss consistently, but you should be flossing the right way.

If you are someone that is already dealing with the early stages of gum disease, you will want to invest in expanding floss. Getting floss that expands will allow you to better get rid of stubborn plaque at your gum line.

You also want to make sure that you are flossing the right way. You will want to be flossing so you are able to get trapped plaque and bacteria directly at your gum line. Therefore, you should be directing the floss towards your gum line.

2. Professional Dental Cleanings.

Another big thing that you are going to need to do in order to prevent gum disease would be to get regular and professional dental cleanings. If you are in the early stages of gum disease, it might be in your best interest to get regular dental cleanings every three months as opposed to every six months.

For those that don’t have gum disease, they might be able to get by with regular six-month cleanings. However, for those with early stages of gingivitis and gum disease, you will want to stick to getting them much more regularly.

3. Brush Your Teeth.

While flossing is very important, brushing your teeth is just as important. You want to be brushing your teeth at least twice per day. However, more importantly, you want to be brushing your teeth properly. You should be looking to brush your teeth at the gum line to ensure that you are able to disturb and get rid of the bacteria built up on it. Along with this, you should be brushing your tongue regularly because bacteria can grow on your tongue and cause issues with your gums.

There are a lot of things that you should be doing in order to get rid of bacteria build up on your gum lines. By following the various tips above, you will be able to protect your gums from harmful plaque and bacteria. By regularly flossing, brushing your teeth, and getting regular cleanings, you should be able to prevent gum disease from becoming a problem. You also want to be certain that you are using fluoride toothpaste with triclosan which is used to help reduce plaque buildup and other gum problems.