5 Tips for Healthy Gums

Your pearly whites get a lot of attention, but when was the last time you thought about the health of your gums?  Your gums play a vital role in your beautiful smile and your overall health. When you brush and floss your teeth you’re not just preventing cavities,  you’re also protecting your gums from developing gum disease.  Also known as periodontal disease, it is the leading cause of tooth loss, impacts your overall health, and as we’ve discussed on the blog before, has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.  So what are the ways you can improve the health of your gums?  Here are 5 tips to help keep your gums healthy:

1. Brush Properly

A proper brushing technique is essential to preventing gum disease.  Start with a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush at a 45 degree angle to your gum line.  Use short strokes and make sure you get all surfaces of your teeth.  You should spend 2 minutes, twice a day on brushing.  When you’re done with your teeth, don’t forget to brush your tongue, too!  If you have questions about your brushing technique, don’t hesitate to ask your hygienist for a quick demonstration at your next appointment…our hygiene team loves to help and share their knowledge!

2. Floss Daily

An important part of your oral health care regimen, flossing helps remove food and plaque from between the teeth.  We know flossing can be a hard habit to stick with so if you’re looking for other ways to clean between your teeth, check out our blog post on alternatives to traditional flossing.  If you notice any bleeding when you floss let us know at your next visit–this can be an early sign of periodontal disease.  Find a method that works for you and stick with it!

3. Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health!  People who smoke cigarettes are four times as likely to have periodontal disease, and smoking makes it harder to manage treatments.  Let us know if you have questions about smoking and oral health care or if you need help quitting…we want to support you!

4. Eat Your Fruits, Veggies, and Nuts

Eating a diet rich in healthy fruits and vegetables is good for your body, good for your teeth, and good for your gums.  By incorporating foods that are rich in Omega-3s, vitamin C, and fiber you are not only getting essential nutrients, you are reducing inflammation and boosting your immune system, and in the process supporting the health of your gums as well.  Snack on some almonds, bell peppers, and leafy greens for the win!

5. Schedule Regular Visits to Falmouth Dental Arts

Coming in for regular check-ups with Dr. Brunacini or Dr. Karagiorgos is an important part of your oral health care. Seeing us regularly helps us monitor the health of your gums and teeth and notice if there are early signs of gum disease we can help you reverse.  We are your partners in oral health care and want to help you have effective dental care for a healthy mouth and a healthy life!

 

If you have questions about the health of your gums or need to schedule your next appointment, please call us at 207.781.5900.  We are working diligently to schedule patients  with our new safety protocols, and appreciate your patience.  We look forward to seeing you!

 

Oral Bacteria & Your Overall Health

As dentists, we spend lots of time educating our patients about the importance of taking care of their mouth, teeth, and gums. On the surface, we want to help you prevent bad breath, tooth decay, and gum disease—all with the goal of helping you protect your teeth as you grow older. In addition to our work, researchers are discovering new reasons to brush, floss, and visit your dentist regularly. They are learning that having a healthy mouth can ward off more serious medical conditions at any stage in your life. An unhealthy mouth may increase your risk of health problems such as preterm labor, poorly controlled diabetes, and even heart attack and stroke.

Take it from Ashley, RDH, one of FDA’s own dental hygienists: “The mouth is a window to the rest of the body,” Ashley explains. “Oftentimes we see changes arise in the mouth before they are evident elsewhere in the body. Maintaining optimal oral health is crucial to overall health. Since the mouth is connected to the body we recognize that chronic inflammation or presence of disease isn’t just localized to the oral cavity, but has the potential to be linked to underlying conditions.”

Just as Ashley explains, your mouth can play a crucial role in learning more about your overall health. In fact, saliva is a great tool that can help detect a variety of substances such as certain cancer markers, cortisol levels, and can even be used to monitor bone loss in those prone to osteoporosis. Saliva is also a main defense against disease-causing organisms as it contains antibodies that can attack both viral pathogens and bacteria. However, saliva can’t always get the job done completely. Over 500 different species of bacteria thrive in your mouth at any given time and constantly form dental plaque. If you don’t brush and floss regularly, this plaque builds up along your gum line, opening the door for additional bacteria to accumulate in the space between your gums and teeth. This build-up leads to gingivitis, and can potentially lead to periodontitis.

Our gums are vascular and full of blood, so infections such as gingivitis and periodontitis can happen quickly. Once that gum layer is disrupted due to brushing, flossing, or an invasive dental treatment, bacteria can enter in the bloodstream, travel to any area of the body and potentially cause inflammation. Inflammation in the heart causes hardened arteries, or atherosclerosis, making it harder for blood to flow to the heart, increasing one’s chance of heart attack and stroke. Oral bacteria can also enter your bloodstream and stick to the lining of diseased heart valves, causing infective endocarditis.

Another important connection between oral health and overall health is that the bacteria connected to periodontal disease, streptococcus sanguis, plays a role in strokes. This bacteria can quickly spread to the heart through the gums, potentially causing a stroke. There is research to suggest that people with gum infections are at an increased risk of stroke and researchers mention that the more severe the infection, the greater the risk of stroke appears to be.

While the American Heart Association says there is no definitive, direct evidence that heart disease can be prevented by working to prevent gum disease, that doesn’t mean that it can’t help. That’s one reason why regular dental check-ups are important at any age.When was the last time you visited us? Schedule an appointment to get your gums checked out today!