4 Actionable Steps You Can Take To Prevent Gum Disease

Posted on: 22 August 2017

If you want to save your gums and your teeth, you need to pay more attention to your dental health. Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease that many adults suffer from without even knowing it. Untreated gingivitis can easily morph into full-blown periodontal disease. Prevent this from happening to you by implementing the four easy actionable steps below.

#1 Brush Around Your Gum Line

When you brush your teeth, don't just focus on your teeth. Make sure that you brush right at the gum line where your teeth meet your gums. Hold your toothbrush at an angle so that you brush both your teeth and your gums at once.

It is also a good idea to just brush your gums. Spend some time on your gums, front and back side, every time you brush.

#2 Clean Your Tongue

Your tongue can play host to a large variety of bacteria as well. That bacteria on your tongue can easily spread to the rest of your mouth. If you are not brushing your tongue when you brush your teeth, you're not really getting your mouth clean.

You can stick out your tongue and brush it with your toothbrush, moving the brush in a circular manner like you do with your teeth. Then, take your toothbrush and scrape your tongue back and forth.

If you don't want to use your toothbrush for this task, you can purchase a tongue depressor which is a special cleaning tool designed just for cleaning your tongue.

#3 Invest In Two Toothbrushes

Invest in two different toothbrushes. Your toothbrush should be dry before you use it again. Have one toothbrush for the morning and one for the evening. You can use a manual toothbrush or an electric toothbrush. Both types of toothbrushes get the job done as long as you are brushing your teeth in a circular manner and covering all sides of your teeth when you brush.

Make sure that you store your toothbrush so that it is upright. You shouldn't store your toothbrush inside of an enclosed container; that will encourage the growth of germs. Make sure you keep your toothbrushes separate from one another so they don't touch; touching toothbrushes can also spread germs.

#4 Use A Peroxide Wash

A couple of times a week, mix together a solution that is half water and half hydrogen peroxide. Then, mix it around in your mouth for about as long as you would mix around mouthwash. Spit it out and do not swallow. Do this a few times a week. This process will help kill bacteria in your mouth and inhibit the growth of bacteria as well. 

For more information, visit websites like http://www.thefamilydentist-lakeland.com.