Tips To Prevent Gum Disease And How We Can Help

Find out how to keep your gums healthy and free from disease.

In order to protect your smile from gum disease it’s important that you have a stellar oral care regimen in place. This means brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing daily. Of course, these are two important ways to keep teeth and gums clean, but they aren’t the only way. From the office of our Piscataway, NJ, dentists Dr. Nainesh Desai, Dr. Rahee Shah and Dr. Warren Lorch, here are some lesser-known tips for keeping gums healthy,

Use a Special Mouthwash

Not all mouthwashes are created equal. Whether you are at risk for gum disease or not, you could benefit from using an antimicrobial mouthwash every day. This mouthwash should be used about 30 minutes after brushing your teeth in the morning and also right before bed. Look for a low-alcohol antimicrobial mouthwash that won’t dry your mouth out.

Eat Your Vegetables

We know that veggies are good for our health, but did you know that they are also important for the health of our gums? Vegetables are chock full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that can help support healthy gums.

Say No to Smoking

If you are a smoker or have smoked in the past, this can also affect the health and integrity of your gums. Smoking slows healing and also restricts blood flow, which means that the blood isn’t able to deliver all the necessary nutrients to the tissue. If you want healthy gums, it’s time to quit smoking.

Consider an Electric Toothbrush

While the verdict is still out as to whether a manual or an electric toothbrush is better, we often find it easier for our patients to get a more thorough clean with an electric toothbrush. This is because it applies the right amount of pressure to remove plaque, bacteria and food from between teeth and along the gum line. If you haven’t already considered it, you may want to swap out your manual for an electric and see if that improves your oral care game.

How Our Dentists Handle Gum Disease

If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s important that you see your Piscataway, NJ, family dentists right away. The sooner gum disease is detected the sooner we can give you the treatment you need (and prevent further issues from impacting the long-term health of your smile).

The treatment that we offer will depend on the severity of your gum disease. Early stages of gum disease, known as gingivitis, may simply be reversed through better and more thorough brushing and flossing habits. Our dental team can also recommend special products that can kill bacteria within and around the gums to reverse inflammation.

More advanced stages of gum disease may require at-home treatment, root scaling and planing (a deep dental cleaning that removes plaque and tartar buildup from under the gumline and around the roots of the tooth,) and even surgery (in more severe cases).

If you suspect that you might be dealing with gum disease, it’s important that you don’t ignore it. See our Piscataway, NJ, dentists at Central Jersey Dental Arts right away to stop gum disease in its tracks. Call us at (732) 981-1040 to schedule an appointment.