Recognize the Symptoms of Gingivitis
include bleeding, sore, swollen, or red gums. You may especially notice bleeding gums if you see a little bit of blood on your floss. Sometimes a patient may experience bad breath due to the bacteria buildup inside their mouth.
It’s important that you pay attention to how your body feels. Don’t ignore sore, bleeding gums hoping that the symptoms will go away on their own. The time to act is now. Schedule an appointment with our office and step up your oral hygiene game.
Practice Good Oral Hygiene
Brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes at a time. We recommend standing in front of a clock and dedicating 30 seconds to each quadrant of your mouth. That way, you’ll clean every surface of your teeth.
We also recommend that you floss once a day to remove food particles and plaque caught between teeth.
Use a Fluoride Mouth Rinse
helps to strengthen your enamel. That way, it’s more resistant to acid attacks from plaque. Fluoride mouth rinse is also antimicrobial, which helps kill the harmful bacteria in your mouth.
In general, we recommend that you use a fluoride mouth rinse twice a day after brushing your teeth. You’ll need to swish vigorously for 60 seconds, then spit out the rinse into the sink when you’re done. Never swallow fluoride mouth rinse.
After using a fluoride rinse, don’t eat or drink anything for 30 minutes. Otherwise, the fluoride won’t have a chance to soak into the enamel.
Reduce Your Sugar Intake
Do your teeth ever feel rough or “fuzzy” after eating a lot of sugary foods? That rough texture you’re feeling is plaque buildup.
Plaque loves to eat any sugar left behind after you eat. It then produces an acid that attacks your gums and erodes the enamel.
If you have a lot of plaque buildup, we recommend reducing how much sugar you consume. For example, you may want to cut soda out of your diet if you drink a lot every day. Your teeth and gums will thank you!
Consider keeping a food diary to keep track of what you’re eating and drinking on a regular basis.
Schedule a Teeth Cleaning
In general, we recommend that our patients schedule a teeth cleaning every 6 months. While you can remove plaque at home by practicing good oral hygiene, only a dental professional will be able to remove tartar.
During your appointment, we’ll remove plaque and tartar buildup from your teeth. We may also take dental X-rays, depending on how long it’s been since your last ones.
The X-rays will help us see any decay that could be hiding between teeth. It’ll also help our dentists detect any issues with the underlying facial structure.
Your teeth cleaning appointment is also important because it gives you the opportunity to check in with one of our dentists. During your visit, they’ll be able to give you more oral hygiene tips to help you reverse gingivitis and maintain a healthy smile for life.
Request an Appointment With Us
Our family dentists in Ann Arbor, MI, are accepting new patients and would be more than happy to welcome you to our practice. To request an appointment, please call Enhance Family Dentistry at (734) 821-7676. You may also fill out our online contact form and someone from our team will reach out to you soon.