4 Tips for Preventing Gum Disease

If you’re concerned about gum disease and are looking for ways to avoid it, you’re being very smart about your oral health. If the earlier stage of gum disease (gingivitis) is left untreated, it can move to a more serious stage called periodontitis. 

When that occurs, infections set in deeply, causing jaw bone erosion, tooth loosening, and, eventually, tooth loss. Here at Pioneer Dental Group, Dr. Behzad Binafard and our talented team are gum disease experts who focus on all stages of gum disease including the “before it happens” stage, here in our Norwalk, California office. 

In January’s blog, we’re covering some helpful preventive tips so you can avoid joining the almost 50% of Americans struggling with gum disease today. Here are our top preventive tips.

Brush and floss every day 

Sure, it sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many people end up with gum disease due to inadequate brushing, skipping flossing, or both. 

Brushing and flossing remove harmful plaque (a film of bacteria that clings to your teeth), which in turn dramatically lessens your risk of gum disease. We recommend brushing twice a day, for a full two minutes each time. 

Floss once per day, carefully cleaning between every tooth. Flossing isn’t just about clearing bacteria: It also stimulates an immune response in your gums so you can eliminate bacteria, stray food particles, and debris away more effectively. 

Use mouthwash

The American Academy of Periodontology recommends using mouthwash after you brush and floss. It can flush out any particles of food, bacteria, or debris that you may have missed during brushing and flossing. 

See the dentist twice a year 

At Pioneer Dental Group, we schedule patients for dental checkups and teeth cleanings every six months. During these visits we can remove plaque as well as its hardened form, tartar. 

Brushing and flossing don’t eliminate tartar. So, teeth cleanings, in which our hygienists use special dental tools to remove that tough tartar, can help you avoid gum disease. 

In addition, when Dr. Binafard examines your teeth, he carefully checks for the early signs of gum disease. 

Should he detect problems like reddened gums, sensitive gums, or deep pockets (spaces between gums and teeth), he can recommend a treatment plan to prevent gum disease development or progression right away. 

Quit smoking 

Smoking is strongly associated with gum disease. This happens because smoking reduces your immune response. So, gum irritation can progress to an infection faster than it usually would. And, smoking makes it hard to recover from infections, including gum infections, quickly. 

So, if you’re a smoker, we strongly recommend quitting. If you need some help in that area, we can guide you to resources that can help you break free from cigarettes for good. 

At our office, we believe in personalized dental care for every patient, so we’re glad to discuss your individual needs and help you make additional changes to avoid gum disease in the future. If you’re due for your checkup or teeth cleaning, or you have new teeth or gums issues, call our office or click here to reach out now.