Without a doubt, you’ve heard the lecture about the significance of brushing and flossing every day to help avoid gum disease and cavities if you’ve ever gone to the dentist for a normal cleaning and exam. However, the CDC reports that periodontitis, an advanced type of gum disease, affects more than half of all Americans over the age of 30.
Evidently, something is being misunderstood if people aren’t caring enough about their oral health to maintain good oral hygiene or seek dental care for persistent illnesses. Here are four reasons why you should be concerned about the condition of your gums, which should motivate you to practice better oral hygiene.
- You could lose teeth
- Your gums are essential to having a beautiful smile
- Your gum health can affect your overall health
- Gum inflammation can cause pain
The two leading causes of tooth loss in America are gum disease and dental caries (tooth decay). If gum disease is allowed to progress to the point where the infection penetrates deeply into the gum pockets and spreads to the tissue below the gums, tooth loss may result. Damage will occur to the tissues that support teeth and keep them in place. As the gums recede, more of the tooth will be vulnerable to plaque bacterial damage. Eventually, an infection could spread to the tooth’s root. At this time, a root canal could still be able to salvage the tooth, but if dental care is not sought out later, the tooth will be gone.
For many, having a stunning smile is really important. Retaining gums shouldn’t ruin your smile! In addition to making you look older, receding gums may also cause your teeth to become loosened or unstable. If you’ve had veneers put on your teeth, you should be very cautious about receding gums because they’ll let the edge of the veneer show and ruin your smile totally. Depending on how severe the issue becomes, surgery may be required to fix receding gums.
According to the American Academy of Periodontology, poor oral health, especially gum disease, has been related to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and rheumatoid arthritis. You might be able to lower your risk of these additional issues by maintaining healthy gums.
Of course, anyone who has experienced gum disease is aware of this. However, many people are able to ignore the pain since in the early stages it is likely to only be brought on by touching the gums. They simply stop flossing if it results in bleeding. Unfortunately, using this strategy will only cause the situation to get worse. In the long run, the discomfort can get far worse, particularly if the tooth’s root develops an infection.
