What Can You Use To Get Rid Of Gum Disease?
Recently, within the last seven days actually, I purchased a HydroFloss. A what? Well, it is sort of like a high powered waterpik that uses magnetized minerals that naturally occur in tap water.
Why? For starters, I’m tired of my dentist complaining about my gingivitis which has now become mild to moderate periodontal disease. Will a Hydro Floss change that? I honestly don’t know, yet. Based on what I’ve read about them, it may be possible. I’m a skeptic by nature, but I’m also curious enough to try out different things. Sometimes that strategy works for me and sometimes it doesn’t.
I’ve had a lot of problems with dentists over the years. I don’t believe that all dentists are completely honest. In fact, I had a trained dentist tell me that I had a ‘trouble spot’ that she wanted to drill into. I went to another dentist who didn’t appear to detect any problem or any ‘trouble spot’ at all. That was after waiting six months. If there was a problem that was going to get worse, it certainly didn’t do so.
Another time, a dentist cheerfully suggested a root canal for a pain I was having in a tooth. I declined. In less than two weeks, that pain went away and never came back, without a root canal being done. That was about 14 years ago. I have heard stories from people who went to a dentist to be told that they had several cavities. Upon visiting a different dentist they were told they had none!
I find this trend disturbing. I go to a dentist to maintain my teeth and gums and to make sure that I keep the teeth with minimal damage to the gums. So when unnecessary procedures are recommended, I find it a little annoying. I should be able to trust my dentist but instead, I view her much like I view a car dealership when taking my car in for service. Watch the wallet or get taken. I shouldn’t have to feel that way about my dentist. But I do.
One of the best sales presentations I have ever seen was that of a dental hygienist. She wanted to sell me a ‘root scaling and planing’. During this procedure they anesthetize your gums and use metal instruments to scrape and scale along the root to remove plaque under the gumline.
When The Professionals Do Not Agree – Consumers Can Become Bewildered…
Opinions seem to vary greatly, even among health care professionals in the dental industry. Each often has his own favorite product or set of products.
If you take a simple device such as the perio-aid, you will find that different hygienists and even different dentists will give you slightly different and conflicting directions on how to use this tool.
Some attack the products that others recommend. That happened to me lately on twitter. I was quite shocked to see a dental hygienist attack products that she probably knew nothing about. Yet, when going to her profile, I found that she actually promoted a very specific product.
The majority of her tweets were about this product. I questioned her about whether she was working for the particular company that made this product. She said she did not. However, I find it very hard to believe that someone would spend so much of their personal time to promote a product if they were not being compensated for doing so.
This is the problem with marketing, you never know who is behind a particular marketing strategy or ploy. We live in such a commercialized era that it is a bit scary to think about sometimes. With many social media, you never know which profiles are real and which are made up – complete with convincing pictures!
We often hope that the professionals we trust are honest and forthright and perhaps we even assume that they are. I don’t want to say too much more about this issue. It is not limited to any profession or field. It spans the spectrum of industries and professionals. That is too bad for the consumer.
When I was a child I often dreamed of a world without commerce. It would really alter everything. For example, if the question of money were taken out of the equation, would your dental health be better protected and preserved.
As you might imagine, that was just an example, the same question could apply to any industry or profession. It would be nice if the professionals all agreed. When they don’t, whom does the consumer turn to for quality information that is not confusing?
Why Should You Care About Gingivitis?
You may wonder why it is important to end periodontal disease. But besides your teeth starting to look bad, and your gums bleeding there is much more to it than that. It can be linked to many different medical problems too.
When you first notice that brushing or flossing is causing your gums to bleed you should realize something is wrong. This is the first hint you will have that you are in the beginning stages of gingivitis. But don’t be foolish enough to think that just because you have no bleeding that you are home free. So many people have gum disease right now and think that they are disease free – don’t fall into that trap. Bleeding gums is only one symptom.
It’s recommended that you brush at least two times a day, and that you brush continuously for three minutes. But after you eat something that is full of sugar, or drink a soda, you should also irrigate your mouth at that time.
But be warned, brushing and flossing alone may not be enough. You should educate yourself on what else you can do at home to help stop or prevent this disease!
Researchers believe that this problem can lead to such serious problems as heart disease, strokes, respiratory problems, osteoporosis, and diabetes. Plus you will couldose teeth and your overall appearance may not be as appealing.
You’ve seen people who’ve had advanced stages of gum disease, and how their teeth look. If you don’t stop your gum disease when you can that’s what you have to look forward too. Besides that the bacteria that is eating away at your gums and teeth can enter your blood and travel to other parts of the body.
What is a Gum Graft
If you have discovered that you have receding gums, then there are a number of methods you will be able to turn to. One of those methods is known as a gum graft. Today, it seems as if the gum graft has gained a lot of popularity. What is a gum graft? Well, it is a dental procedure that can be done in order to replace those receding gums.
One other side effect of gum disease is that you could get bad breath odor
What causes recession of gums? Well, there are a number of things that can cause this problem. When you brush your teeth more than needed, this can cause recession of gums. Some other factors that could cause gum recession include periodontal disease.
What exactly do gum grafts do? A gum graft will be using either hard or soft tissue, depending on the location in order to restore that gum line. We must add that recovering from gum grafts can be a bit on the painful side. You will need to allow some time for the gum to heal.
Tip: A portable oral irrigator is a device that may help you maintain good oral hygiene while travelling.
You may have also heard of gum grafts as gingival as this is the dental terminology that is used. Gingival mucosa will be flexible, yet soft tissue. Keratinized gingival will be made out of harder material as it has been designed to protect the roots. Whenever the gums start to recede, the soft tissue is generally the one that disappears first.
Tip: Using a Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator may help to reduce plaque build up between office visits.
If you catch this early, you will be able to get this process done with the soft tissues. The soft tissue graft is going to restore the gum line. If the dentist finds that the gums have deeply receded, then you may need to have a connective tissue graft done. Connective tissue grafts will be using firmer gingival, which will be protecting those fragile areas of your teeth.
How Do You Recognize When You Have Gum Disease?
Most people see white, healthy teeth as an attractive feature. Although a bright smile may be a help to your appearance, the more important fact is that a well cared for mouth is the only way to prevent gingivitis, a form of gum disease.
Recognizing the early symptoms of gingivitis can be difficult. It starts as a mild redness and swelling of the gums. At this point, simply brushing and flossing more often may be the only course of action necessary. If left untreated, you may next experience pain and bleeding of the gums when you brush or floss. An oral irrigator could be helpful now. At this point you will want to schedule an appointment with you dentist for a thorough cleaning and advice about how to proceed.
If the condition is allowed to continue the gums will pull back from the teeth. Not only is this unattractive, but it leaves more of the surface of your teeth exposed to plaque which may compound the problem. At this point it is also possible that you will develop periodontitis. This infection of the jawbone can lead to permanent damage to the teeth and bones of the mouth and face.
The way to avoid all of these problems is to develop and stick to a stringent oral hygiene routine. This routine should include regular brushing and flossing, at least twice a day. A hydro floss, not to be confused with the hydro pulse could be quite helpful here. It is also important to see you dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings. This should help you to avoid gingivitis but if it does not your dentist can catch the disease early and suggest corrective actions.
An ozone generator may also be useful. It can help you to make your own oxygenated mouthwash at home.This might be beneficial to your oral health.
Whether or not you view bright white teeth as attractive, it is a pretty sure bet that you will view the discolored teeth and gums caused by gingivitis as unattractive. With a few daily steps and regular dentist visits it is possible to avoid this dilemma completely.
