As your dentist in Long Beach, one of our most critical functions is to provide you with knowledge and information that helps prevent gum disease. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), a large number of Americans find that they have bleeding when they brush their teeth, have frequent bad breath, or have a bad taste in their mouth.
When you combine the symptoms with gums that are red, swollen, or tender, there is a possibility that you have the early symptoms of gingivitis, which is an early stage of periodontal disease. The good news is that we can identify and offer treatment before the condition worsens with regular visits to our dental office.
Even more importantly, when you make it a habit of visiting our dental office at least once every six months, we are able to remove the plaque and bacteria that accumulates around the gum line. Therefore reducing, if not completely eliminating, the potential of gingivitis.
Patients often want to know if there are specific things they can do in order to reduce the risk of gum disease. We know that preventing gum disease begins with oral health habits. The most important habit an individual can have in the fight against any kind of gum disease is brushing his or her teeth on a regular basis.
While most patients have been brushing their teeth since they were one or two years old, there is still room for improvement for many patients. Here are a few tips to properly brushing teeth that an individual may not have thought of, which will help the individual remove more plaque and reduce the risk of gingivitis or periodontal disease.
The type of toothbrush an individual uses is almost as important as how regularly one brushes his or her teeth. From our perspective, the best option is to use a soft bristle toothbrush, which is small enough to get into all the hard-to-reach places on the teeth. One of the ways bacterial plaque can accumulate around the gum line is if the toothbrush is too large and cannot reach into the recesses of the teeth to reduce the amount of plaque and tartar found there.
Similarly, when you are brushing your teeth, it is important to take at least two minutes for the complete brushing. We recommend that you use short, back-and-forth strokes on each tooth and take sufficient amount of time to remove any plaque that may have accumulated. We recommend that you brush your teeth in a consistent pattern that you follow every time you brush your teeth.
We suggest that you brush the outer surfaces of your upper teeth and then move to the outer surfaces of your lower teeth. Next, you should move to the upper inner teeth and then finish up with the lower inner teeth. Complete the brushing by brushing your tongue, which can be a storehouse for oral bacteria that can lead to gingivitis or periodontal disease.
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