Keeping your gums and teeth healthy ensures that you’ll have a long life spent eating the things you love, and keeping a beautiful smile well into your golden years. Why is it then that so many people have difficulty keeping their dental hygiene up? In most cases it isn’t a case of negligence, many people simply don’t know how to properly care for their teeth, and aren’t doing the things that will keep them shining and healthy for a lifetime.
How Do I Care For My Gums To Keep Them Healthy?
Many of the techniques for keeping our gums clean we have been taught about since childhood, but perhaps haven’t been so good about keeping up with as adults. Some of them are quite simple, proper brushing habits and technique, flossing, all simple steps that add up to healthy, happy gums. Sometimes we’ve gotten out of the habit, or perhaps we grew up in a home where these good habits simply weren’t taught. Either way, we’re going to introduce you to healthy gum habits that can help stave off gingivitis and give you a sparkling smile for years to come!
Brush Your Teeth? What About Your Gums?
There’s always been an emphasis on brushing our teeth, the cry of every parent is “brush your teeth before you go to bed!” But rarely do we hear them emphasize the importance of brushing your gums and your tongue. Both of these places are hotbed for bacteria, a haven for food particles, and the perfect place for gingivitis to gestate. Next time you go in and brush your teeth, make sure you give your gums and tongue a good brushing, inside and out, under and over. While you’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to hit the roof of your mouth. All just steps to a healthy smile.
Over and Under, Outside and In, But Have You Gotten Between?
If we had to venture a guess, there’s one phrase that your dentist beats you over the head with religiously. “Floss your teeth!” No matter how much you brush, no matter how careful you are with your dental hygiene, if you aren’t flossing you’re setting yourself up for gum disease. Food and bacteria can get wedged between your teeth out of sight and decay can form where you can’t see it as a result. Want to keep a healthy smile and healthy gums? Yep.. You guessed it. Floss.
Rinse Your Mouth Out! But Not With Soap.
Antiseptic mouthwash, such as Listerine, is perfect for hitting everywhere you missed. As you swish it around your mouth it sterilizes and cleans away the bacteria, helping to prevent the formation of plaque and tartar. This in turn helps to protect your gums and keep them healthy. Even better, if you’re certain to swish it around all areas of your mouth, it’ll get into places even your brush can’t reach.
Dental Visits Are Key
The final key to this gum health plan? See your dentist at least twice a year for a checkup. Every visit is an assurance that you’ll know if you’re missing anything, and a chance to prevent a simple cavity from turning into something more severe. Schedule an appointment with your practitioner today!
