Cheezy Grins – Health to You

Not a lot of people have been educated about oral health.  Mostly, they rely on old wives tales to cure or prevent periodontal diseases and tooth decay.  But contrary to popular cliché, what you do not know might actually hurt you.  As a matter of fact, these seemingly benign misinformation could cost you a hefty sum on periodontitis treatment as well as sky high dental bills due to tooth decay and dental cavities.  But it’s never too late to educate yourself.  Here are just a couple of popular oral health myths which have been debunked by recent studies.

According to old wives tales, bleeding gums are a normal occurrence.  However, while vigorous brushing and flossing and eating hard food can indeed hurt the gums, gums that bleed spontaneously or frequently can also be a sign of periodontal disease.  This is most especially true if it is accompanied by redness and inflammation.  If your gums are bleeding spontaneously, you may want to visit your dentist right away so he can administer or prescribe the appropriate periodontal disease treatment, depending on the severity of your gum infection.

Another common misconception is that flossing is unnecessary.  This is supported by the recent consesus that only about 13.5% of the American population floss daily.  But what the other 86.5% don’t know is that flossing help clear out the food particles stuck between teeth or in areas where toothbrushes can’t reach.  These spaces are the breeding ground of for bacteria that is why keeping them clean is important.  Consider brushing, flossing and gargling the “Holy Trinity” of oral health.  Without these three, you are increasing your chances of getting periodontal disease by three fold.  That is why maintaining good oral hygiene practices is crucial to protect you against early teeth loss as well as the other health complications connected with periodontal diseases.

Lastly, Another common misconception is that gum diseases are caused solely by bad oral hygiene practices.  While it is true that poor oral hygiene can increase your chances of getting periodontal diseasse, there are other factors which could increase your predispostion to get gum infection.  Case in point, smoking and using other tobacco products can increase your likelyhood of getting gingivitis or periodontitis.  Tobacco hardens the plaque into tartar, thus allowing bacteria to wreak more havoc on your gum tissues.  Other than that, stress and frequently drinking can weaken your immune system, thus making susceptible to infection, including periodontal diseases.    Hence, it is not only important to maintain good oral hygiene practices but also maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet to protect yourself against the debilitating effects of periodontal diseases.

The development of periodontal disease is quite a long process.  Though this could mean that this opens a possibility of defeating the disease on its earliest stages, it does not always turn out to be successful all the time.  The thing with periodontal disease is that it tends to get very discrete.  It takes on a milder form – gingivitis, which is also known for being a very sneaky form of condition.  Hence, when things get worse, that is when the victims start to realize that there is a problem.  Therefore, the history of periodontal disease is important in getting rid of it.

In this case, there is a need to put focus on getting to know what gingivitis is.  As mentioned earlier, it is the earlier form of periodontal disease.  It was also stipulated earlier that it is much better to get rid of periodontal disease at its earliest stages.  Hence, gingivitis is the first issue that needs to be resolved as soon as possible.  Gingivitis and periodontal disease are actually the same things – they are cases wherein the gums and its other neighboring parts are destroyed.

Gingivitis is mainly caused by the accumulation of plaque inside the oral cavity.  Plaque is a sticky substance that is formed around the unprotected corners of the oral cavity.  It is made up of mucus, microorganisms and food particles.  This means that when you do not rinse your mouth properly after every meal, chances are that you may experience dental health problems.  Once plaque starts to perpetuate, that is also the time when gingivitis would start to develop.

There are two common symptoms of gingivitis.  The first one has something to do with the color of your gums.  Basically, a health set of gums is indicated by its color.  When your gums have a pinkish color, then it’s a good thing since it means that your gums are in a healthy state.  However, when your gums show a different color, something could be wrong.  For example, a grayish hue to your gums means that they have started to deteriorate.  Ignoring this could possibly lead to gingivitis which would later become a periodontal disease.

Another common symptom of gingivitis is the bleeding of the gums especially when brushing.  Oftentimes, this symptom is also ignored.  This is due to the fact that the bleeding is commonly associated to the idea of forceful tooth brushing.  What most people do not know is the bleeding could already equate to a deteriorating set of gums.  Once you already encounter any of these symptoms, it would be best to ask your dentist for assistance.  He or she may provide you with the needed medication to cure your problems.  What is important is to resolve gingivitis before it becomes a more problematic periodontal disease.