Taking Care of Your Gums

We all take our mouths for granted. We eat, talk and breathe — although hopefully not all at the same time — through our mouths. If you care for your mouth, you’ll avoid the need for Asheville dental surgery for many years to come.

Good dental health results from taking care of your teeth, your tongue and your gums. Your gums, the pink tissue that holds your teeth in place, are vital for your overall dental health.

Taking care of your gums helps prevent Asheville dental surgery and a host of other problems. You can lose your teeth if your gums are weak. Gum disease can cause bleeding, tartar build-up, gingivitis and eventually, periodontitis — inflammation that causes your teeth to pull away from the gums, which creates pockets in which bacteria thrive.

Signs of Gum Disease

Any Asheville dental surgery professional worth his salt will examine you and ask a number of questions if he suspects that you may have gum disease. Symptoms of gum disease include:

• Swollen, red gums
• Bad breath
• Pain while chewing
• Loose or sensitive teeth
• Bleeding and tenderness
• Receding skin that makes teeth appear longer

Treatment Options

The first step in treating gum disease involves destroying the infection, followed by daily oral cleaning — flossing and brushing every day. We may perform a deep cleaning that requires scraping the tartar at the gum line. To avoid Asheville dental surgery, we may recommend medications that include antibiotics and medicated mouthwash.

Asheville dental surgery options include bone and tissue grafts to help regenerate gum tissue lost from the periodontitis. Flap surgery is a procedure that allows your Asheville dental surgery professional to remove plaque and tartar from the deep pockets that formed while reducing the size of the pockets to make them easier to clean in the future.

Prevention Is the Best Step

Our advice for maintaining healthy gums is the same process you need to perform daily to keep your teeth healthy:

• Brush at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
• Don’t chew or smoke tobacco
• Floss at least once a day between and around all your teeth
• Reduce the amount of sugar you eat and drink
• Cut down on alcohol consumption
• Eat a healthy diet with sufficient amounts of whole grains, fruits and vegetable
• Relax and avoid stress
• Visit your dentist twice a year for cleaning and regular checkups

Long-Lasting Health

Inadequate oral hygiene is the only way to develop gum disease. Untreated, gum disease can cause a host of complications, not the least of which is losing your precious teeth. Furthermore, gum disease can lead to:

• Infections tied to fetal toxicity in pregnant women with gum disease
• Respiratory infections
• Bad breath that won’t go away

Up to 75 percent of Americans have some level of gum disease and most don’t even know it. Talk to Dr. Stamatiades and your hygienist at your next visit to ensure you’re taking proper steps to care for your gums — and keep all your teeth.

—The Zöe Dental Team