7 Steps for Healthier Gums

When it comes to your oral health, most people think about their teeth. However, it’s been proven that your gum health actually plays a vital role in your oral health and your smile long term.

For instance, gum disease is caused by plaque. Plaque is built up by bacteria, mucus and food. If you don’t remove the plaque, it can lead to harmful bacteria that can cause inflammation of the gums. Inflammation can lead to gum disease, which has three stages:

Gingivitis: This is an early stage of gum disease and a stage where damage can still be reversed by brushing and flossing correctly. This stage is most identifiable by red, swollen and tender gums that bleed easily.

Mild/Moderate periodontitis: During this second stage, inflammation and bleeding is increased due to bacterial poisons and plaque. Your body’s own defenses will actually start to break down the gum attachment to the tooth. According to the ADA, you may start to experience early loss of bone around the teeth due to infections. At this stage, this issue cannot be fixed on your own and you need to seek treatment at your dentist’s office.

Advanced periodontitis: At this stage teeth may actually start to come loose because the gum pocket has pulled away from the tooth.

How to get healthier gums

So how do you avoid this? I’ve partnered with Crest and their new Crest Gum Detoxify toothpaste to give you some tips for keeping your gums healthy.

Brush often

Everyone knows that you should brush twice a day, but if you can it is recommended that you brush after every meal for good gum health. Scrub your tongue too since bacteria likes to hang out there too.

Consider your tooth brush

A battery powered or electric rechargeable toothbrush is best for your gums. According to the ADA, a battery powered brush can help reduce gingivitis more than using a manual brush. Just make sure to change out the head of the brush whenever it the bristles start to bend.

Use a toothpaste with fluoride

You want to make sure you use a good toothpaste with fluoride like Crest Gum Detoxify, which has been clinically proven to help you get healthier gums.

Fluoride is a mineral that’s found in all water sources. Not only can it help rebuild your tooth enamel and prevent tooth decay. It is absorbed into your enamel and helps to replenish lost calcium and phosphorous to keep your teeth hard, which is called remineralization. These minerals will help to strengthen your teeth and prevent gum deterioration.

Crest Gum Detoxify toothpaste is a specially formulated paste with fluoride and Activated Foam technology that reaches below the gum line to improve gum health, leading to clinically proven healthier gums.

Crest Gum Detoxify seeks out harmful bacteria in hard-to-reach places and the advanced technology neutralizes the bacteria, even below the gum line. This gives your whole mouth protection. In fact, 99 percent of gingivitis patients showed reduced gum bleeding and inflammation in eight weeks after using Crest Gum Detoxify.

You can find Crest Gum Detoxify at Walmart and on Walmart.com. Dr. Oz also recently spoke about Crest Gum Detoxify and the importance of gum health was also recently mentioned on episode of The Dr. Oz Show. See the his segment here.

Floss

The ADA recommends flossing at least once a day for proper gum health. Flossing can help to remove plaque in places that your toothbrush can’t reach.  

Use the right mouthwash

Mouthwash can help to reduce the plaque in your mouth and prevent and reduce gingivitis. I can also help to reduce how quickly tarter develops, according to the ADA.

Get your cleanings

The dentist and your regular cleanings are vital to gum health. Dentists can often spot the early signs of gum disease and help you manage any issues. Your dentist is the only one that can remove any tartar that’s built up on your teeth. They can also remove any plaque you may have missed.

Don’t smoke or quit smoking

Smokers develop more tartar on their teeth than nonsmokers and it is associated with the onset of early gum disease.  According to the CDC, smoking can weaken your immune system and can make it more difficult to fight off gum infections. Smoking also may make it more difficult for your gums to heal once damage has occurred. Even smokeless tobacco products can bother the gums and irritate your gums. ‘

You can find Crest Gum Detoxify at Walmart and on Walmart.com.

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