Flossing to Lower Your Risk for Gum Disease

When you understand the nature and progression of gum disease, you’ll know it’s a non-stop battle that requires you and your dentist’s diligent and combined efforts. The fact is that you can’t stay ahead of gum disease on your own, and your regular dental checkups and cleanings with Allure Dental Care of Maple Lawn are the only way you can catch up and stay ahead of advanced periodontal disease and, potentially, the loss of your natural teeth.

How does gum disease progress?

Bacteria in your mouth is a simple by-product of living. The foods you eat start to break down from the moment they enter your mouth. They nourish you, and they also feed the bacteria in your mouth. Virtually everyone knows the importance of brushing and flossing for keeping plaque at bay.

Plaque is a film created by a sticky mix of food particles, saliva, and bacteria. It doesn’t easily wash away. It takes scrubbing and scraping to eliminate, and even then, you usually can’t get rid of every bit, hidden between teeth or under the gumline.

This remaining plaque hardens into tartar, and at that point, only professional cleaning with specially designed tools can rid you of these accumulations. However, while these tartar deposits were in place, they could cause changes that make it easier for further bacteria to accumulate, underscoring the importance of keeping plaque levels down at all dental hygiene stages.

The importance of flossing

Even among those who diligently brush their teeth twice daily, it’s more likely that they’ll skip flossing. Inconsistent survey results indicate discrepancies between how much people say they floss, versus how often they do.

It’s understandable since flossing doesn’t create noticeable changes in the way that brushings or dental cleanings will. You can feel clean teeth without flossing, which could make flossing easier to skip.

However, skipping flossing is like waiting for a carpet to appear dirty before you vacuum. By the time the carpet reaches that point, it may require more than a vacuuming to restore it to its original appearance. Plus, you know from experience that even a clean-looking carpet holds plenty of debris that you deal with when emptying the vacuum. Unfortunately, flossing has no similar waste collector.

The consequences of not flossing

The early stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. Even with regular brushing, a lack of flossing could be enough to start this stage of the disease. You may have persistent bad breath, and your gums may become red, swollen, tender, and bleed easily or frequently. Your teeth and gums may become achy or sore.

When you pass into later stages of gum disease, the best-case scenario is an aggressive cleaning at the dentist to eliminate tartar pushing down under your gums. If it invades too far, you may require oral surgery to correct the damage before your gums recede or your teeth become loose.

The dentists at Allure Dental Care of Maple Lawn are gum disease specialists if things progress that far. However, it’s better to contact the office today, by phone or online, to schedule your next regular checkup.