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The Best Way To Prevent Gum Disease

2 May 2018

Oscar Allen

Gum disease can easily form in your mouth from plaque, a natural substance found in your mouth. If you do not want to develop gum disease, the best way you can prevent it is by getting rid of the plaque that is in your mouth. Here are a few things to understand about this.

How plaque leads to gum disease

Plaque is something you can find in every person's mouth, but it is also something people can remove by brushing and flossing their teeth. Plaque is made up of bacteria inside your mouth, and it feeds on sugars. The sugars it feeds on come from foods you eat and beverages you drink. As the bacteria feeds on sugars, the result is the formation of acids. These acids destroy tooth structure and can lurk into the gum lines. Because there is bacteria in plaque, the bacteria will cause an infection in your gums if it gets inside. The result of this is gum disease.

The effects of gum disease

If you leave plaque in your mouth, your chances of developing gum disease will drastically increase, and this disease can affect your mouth in several ways. Gum disease is a horrible infection found in the mouth, and it eats away at the gums. When this occurs, you will end up receding gum lines. Gum lines will continue to recede until you treat this problem, and they could recede so much that they cause your teeth to become loose. Eventually, gum disease can also get into the bone in your jaw and can damage that too. Failing to treat gum disease will only cause it to worsen.

Other ways to prevent gum disease

In addition to removing plaque from your teeth through brushing and flossing, you can also reduce your risks of developing by gum disease by visiting a dentist regularly. Additionally, if you smoke or use any type of tobacco product, you should stop. People who use tobacco products have a much greater risk of developing gum disease. Also, you can prevent gum disease by trying to eat right. If you avoid sugary, starchy foods, you will be able to reduce the chances of developing this disease.

If you currently have swollen, red gums that bleed easily, you might already have the initial stages of gum disease. If you suspect that you do, you should visit a dentist, such as at Pike Dentistry, as soon as possible to have your mouth examined.

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