Essential Tips to Maintain Your Gum Health

Gum health is essential for both oral and overall wellness. Unhealthy gums can influence your social life and overall well-being by raising the risk of illnesses. Maintaining healthy gums helps you avoid tooth loss, supports optimal eating and speaking functions, and contributes to good breath. Here are some essential tips on how to maintain healthy gums.

Proper Techniques to Brush Your Teeth

Effective brushing technique is vital for maintaining dental hygiene. Even with the best toothpaste and a fancy toothbrush, improper brushing can leave food residue and plaque in your mouth.

Here are some techniques shared by the Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine:

• Hold the brush at a 45-degree angle towards the gums, where plaque tends to accumulate.
• Use a gentle, circular motion to clean effectively.
• Focus on your brushing technique without distractions and be gentle to your gums.
• Don't forget to brush your tongue.
• Rinse your mouth and toothbrush thoroughly and check your gums for any remaining food particles.

Using the Right Toothpaste

“For optimal protection, pick a toothpaste with at least 1,000 parts per million fluoride,"² says Dr. Nathan Janowicz, a dentist at Cleveland Clinic. Fluoride toothpaste is one of the best strategies to avoid dental cavities and fight gum problems³ by targeting their root cause. Such formulas act fast against gum problems and help protect against recurrence, significantly improving your oral health.

When it comes to whitening toothpaste, most don't have enough whitening ingredients for noticeable results and may cause sensitivity in the long run.⁴ However, some advanced formulas can remove surface stains, offering both cleaning and whitening benefits. “Charcoal toothpastes are relatively new on the market. In general, you should avoid using charcoal-based care on your teeth,” advises Dr. Janowicz. 

Instead, opt for toothpastes with carefully selected, non-staining ingredients. Dual active formulas deliver effective gum protection and help keep your gums healthy with continued use.

Importance of Using Mouthwash

The American Dental Association (ADA) confirms that mouth washing or mouth rinsing is not a substitute for brushing, but it’s a helpful addition to the daily oral hygiene routine.⁵ The main benefit of using mouthwash is that it allows access to areas unreachable by the toothbrush. It also helps reduce plaque and kill oral microorganisms. Mouth washing can be considered a therapeutic method to maintain oral health and not just a cosmetic approach to get rid of bad breath.

Floss Regularly

The ADA confirms that even the best toothbrush cannot fully clean the space between your teeth, highlighting the importance of flossing. The association advises flossing once a day for better oral health,⁶ as flossing removes food particles and plaque. 

Plaque that is not removed by brushing or flossing can harden into tartar or calculus. Tartar accumulates along the gum line, which can cause gum problems. Once tartar forms, only your dentist can remove it; however, flossing every day can help avoid plaque development.

Quit Smoking

A study published in the National Library of Medicine in 2019⁷ concluded that smoking can impact gum health. Nicotine may reduce oxygen supply to the gums, influencing healing and increasing susceptibility to more serious complications. Smoking can also affect the body's immune response, potentially making it more difficult to manage advanced gum problems.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How Long Should I Brush My Teeth? 

It’s recommended to spend around 2 minutes brushing your teeth.⁸ Spend 30 seconds equally in the 4 quadrants of your mouth (upper and lower left, upper and lower right). It’s important to maintain a proper technique while cleaning your teeth. Removing food residue from your mouth is the main purpose of brushing your teeth.

What Are Some Natural Ways to Maintain Healthy Teeth and Gums?

Saltwater rinses can promote oral health by reducing dental plaque and cutting down on acidic environments in your mouth by increasing its pH.⁹ This technique can also be used after several dental procedures to reduce discomfort. If you are experiencing dental discomfort caused by trauma, apply a cold compress to the outside of your cheek to alleviate the discomfort.¹⁰

References

²health.clevelandclinic.org

³mydentaladvocate.com

⁴newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org

⁵www.ada.org

⁶www.mouthhealthy.org

⁷www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

⁸www.mayoclinic.org

⁹www.healthline.com

¹⁰www.mayoclinic.org