Tips for Healthier Gums

Protecting our gum tissue is not only critical to the appearance of our smile and keeping our natural teeth, it may also be imperative to our overall health. Studies keep popping up indicating the contribution of gum disease to other diseases of the body such as heart disease. Researchers have discovered that those with periodontal disease are not quite twice as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease.

How can you improve your gum health? There are generally two aspects that contribute to the health of your gums. They are professional care and home care. Both of these are important. One without the other will not be very effective, unless you can afford weekly professional cleanings. Therefore home care is at least equally, if not more, important. Neglecting professional care will not work either. You need both to optimize the health of your gum tissue, also called gingiva.

As far as professional care goes, you might consider utilizing the services of a periodontist over that of a general dentist. The periodontist has specialized training and experience with gum tissue health and disease. In addition, that is the focus of his practice. Just like there are specialists in medicine, there are in dentistry as well.

Practically speaking, my own experience is that the care provided in the periodontist's office, as far as gum health is concerned, was far superior. This includes the quality of the professional cleaning service. I found the periodontist's office to be able to provide me with many more details about the health of my gums including additional tips on how to care for them. This is information that I did not receive at the dentist's office. In fact, the dentist did not refer me to the periodontist, I did that for myself. I am glad that I did.

The frequency of professional cleanings should be every two or three months when it comes to your gum health. The six month cleaning schedule that everyone is used too is adequate for caring for the teeth but not for the health of our gums. Home care is the second aspect of caring for our gums and it is very important. Without it, most people won't have a chance to keep their gums healthy.

Brushing and flossing are seldom enough to provide adequate home care. If they were, gum disease would probably not be labeled 'the silent epidemic'. The use of a Perio-Aid and an oral irrigator with hydromagnetics are reasonable additions to one's daily routine. There may be other tools that can be helpful as well.

In short if you have or think you might have gum disease, visit a periodontist. Learn about performing excellent home care for your gums. More frequent professional cleanings are a plus. With adequate professional and home care, you stand a good chance of successfully fighting off gum disease or preventing it in the first place.

Lost gum tissue does not normally grow back. Your periodontist may be able to perform procedures that help. Restoration is seldom one hundred percent. It is best to prevent problems or to stop a current problem from becoming worse. In the future, medical technology may provide us with more options.

This article is for information purposes only. It is not meant to provide advice, diagnosis or suggest treatment. If you have or think you might have gum disease, gingivitis or any other health related problems, visit you dentist or doctor for diagnosis and treatment.