CONCERNED ABOUT GINGIVITIS? IMPROVE FLOSSING TECHNIQUES

Gingivitis is a common dental problem that may trigger more serious oral health issues if left untreated. Therefore, individuals with this disease — or those who are worried about developing gingivitis — should make sure to floss regularly. This simple step can provide the gums and teeth with maximum protection from gingivitis and other oral health problems.

Gingivitis Can Be Dangerous

Gingivitis develops when individuals don't take control of the spread of plaque and bacteria in their mouth. Specifically, gingivitis starts when bacteria attaches to the gums and begins spreading. When this happens, the gums will become inflamed and painful and may even bleed if the infection worsens and continues to spread across the gums.

Even worse, gingivitis may extend so far that the gums around the affected area start to separate from the teeth. This separation is small, but noticeable, and causes many other issues to develop. For example, bacteria and other contaminants could work their way into these holes and spread gingivitis even further. Unfortunately, this problem could trigger dental decay and even tooth loss.

However, the biggest thing to remember about gingivitis is that prevention is entirely possible with ordinary and everyday dental care methods. Brushing helps to keep plaque and bacteria from spreading too far on the teeth. That said, flossing remains a powerful way to manage gingivitis due to the way it keeps food, bacteria, and plaque off hard-to-reach areas in a mouth.

Flossing Helps to Prevent and Even Reverse Gingivitis

Flossing is a powerful way to manage many types of dental issues, and the American Dental Association suggests that people floss every day to minimize their risk of gum disease. This simple act — which should take no more than 5 minutes — protects teeth from the spread of bacteria, plaque, tartar, and other elements throughout the mouth.

In fact, those with gingivitis can floss their teeth and around their gums to reverse the spread of this disease through their mouth. Unfortunately, proper flossing is trickier than many people realize and requires avoiding the following mistakes. The issues discussed below not only decrease the effectiveness of flossing but could worsen gingivitis spread.

Common Flossing Mistakes Can Worsen Gingivitis

Flossing is a simple act but is one that can be easy to get wrong. For example, some people may fail to brush both sides of their teeth and focus only on one. This mistake is often caused by people trying to floss too fast or those with poor motor skills struggling to fit floss between tighter teeth. Make sure to move to the other side of the tooth to avoid any severe complications.

Some individuals may also make the mistake of using the same piece of floss multiple times during their flossing session. This mistake is another one borne from hasty flossing. Using the same piece of floss for more than even one tooth spreads the bacteria cleaned from that tooth throughout the rest of the mouth. This counterintuitive action makes flossing worse than not flossing.

Instead, individuals should use a new piece of floss every time that they clean a new tooth. While this may seem wasteful or too slow-paced, washing with a new piece of floss keeps bacteria from spreading and provides a maximum cleaning benefit. Make sure to buy multiple rolls of floss during every dental supply trip to ensure enough is available.

Dental Professionals Help With This Issue

If you are concerned about the risk of gingivitis, contact or visit us at Bradley Piotrowski, DDS, MSD, LLC, to learn more about the benefits of regular flossing. Our experts will not only provide great floss and flossing tips but also can care for and manage and gingivitis outbreaks as they occur. In this way, individuals can keep their teeth healthy and straight for decades.