Gum disease can affect the health of your smile, and your overall health too. In fact, an unhealthy mouth increases your chance of developing serious medical conditions including diabetes, heart disease, or having a stroke.

Fortunately, you can do a lot to prevent gum disease and your dentist can help. 

Dr. Barbara DeLucia in Ocala, FL, offers comprehensive dentistry including treatment of gum and periodontal disease.

It’s important to remove plaque from your teeth as thoroughly and frequently as you can as plaque contains millions of harmful bacteria that cause gum and periodontal disease. Bacteria destroys soft and hard tissue holding teeth firmly in the bone.

You can use a toothbrush, floss, toothpicks, and other tools to remove plaque and food debris. Cleaning often will keep bacteria levels low. 

These are the top 5 tools to help you clean your oral tissues:

1) Toothbrush.
You should brush your teeth thoroughly after each meal and before you go to bed. Use a circular motion and gently brush all surfaces of each tooth.

2) Inter-proximal Brush.
Use an interproximal brush between teeth to clean large particles of food from between your teeth.

3) Floss.  
This is the most important way to prevent gum disease from starting in between your teeth. You should floss at least once each day. Make sure you floss in between each tooth by wrapping around the tooth surface as you go into the gum between the teeth. The wrapping action keeps the floss against the tooth surface, for better cleaning.

4) Toothpick.
Use a toothpick to trace around the gum of each tooth to remove hard-to-reach plaque.

5) 2x2 gauze.
Use a 2x2 gauze obtained from your local pharmacy to wipe off the plaque layer from the face of each tooth.

Visit your dentist regularly for a dental exam and x-rays. You should plan on a dental visit at least once each year. Your dentist can carefully monitor the health of your gums and identify gum issues that you may have missed.

Visit your dentist regularly for a thorough dental cleaning. You should plan on having professional teeth cleaning every 6 to 12 months, or more frequently if you have gum or periodontal disease. Your dentist will carefully monitor your gums and give you tips on how to keep your smile healthy between appointments.

You owe it to your smile to prevent gum disease. To learn more about preventing gum and periodontal disease, call Dr. Barbara DeLucia in Ocala, FL, at (352) 237-9200. Call now!