Common Ways We Damage Our Gums Without Even Knowing It
Have you ever stopped to think of all the ways that the little things you do could affect your life? For example, whether you wake up with your first alarm or hit ‘snooze’ three times before rolling over will affect the progression of events of your morning and could potentially alter your motivation with more long-term outcomes in your future. In the same way, how you treat your teeth daily matters greatly in the long run. Habits that may seem rather insignificant in the moment can have a huge impact on your long-term dental health.
Over-Aggressive Oral Hygiene
Dental hygiene is meant to be a careful and necessary process, but by brushing or flossing with too much force one can damage their gums. Pressing the bristles too hard against the teeth and gums can force the gums to recede, pretty similar to the way the waves of the ocean cause the shoreline to recede. Using too much force when brushing or flossing is not a harmless habit; it can be detrimental to your oral health. Once the gums have receded, or pulled away from the tooth, the sensitive root of the tooth may be exposed to bacteria or a buildup of plaque, which only cause more gum recession. Since gum tissue does not regenerate the same as most of the other types of tissue in the body, the gums do not grow back.
Sharp Foods
We all enjoy the occasional snack food, but it is important to pay attention to what you put into your mouth, as sharp foods such as chips and seeds can easily get stuck in your teeth and cause pain in your gums. You have probably experienced having the hull of a popcorn kernel stuck between a tooth and the gum. While it might seem simple enough to pick it out and go about your day, food particles that wedge themselves into your gums are holding the door open for bacteria to enter the delicate parts of your teeth and gums. They leave you susceptible to forming a gum abscess, which is what happens when your body sends white blood cells to the area in the form of pus to fight off the bacteria. The pus then has nowhere to drain and becomes trapped behind the gum in a painful pocket, or abscess.
Neglectful Care
Just as aggressive oral hygiene can be harmful to your gums, neglecting to take proper care of your teeth and gums can have the same effect. Teeth that are not brushed regularly will form plaque that eats away at the gums and can form cavities in the teeth or cause the gums to recede. A quick rinse with a non-alcoholic mouthwash is better than nothing when you are unable to take the time to brush.
Forming healthy oral hygiene habits may seem like a chore now, but when you think of the smile you want to have 25 years from now, it is clearly a necessity. Call our office today to schedule your next cleaning or checkup.
