We complete oral hygiene to ensure our teeth look and feel their best, making our smiles both beautiful and healthy. But brushing our teeth and flossing are also important to keep our gums healthy.
Some people do not floss on a daily basis like they should. And this can put their gums in danger. Ensure your gums maintain their good health by flossing properly and consistently.
You can feel more encouraged to floss as often as needed if you understand the advantages flossing will provide to your gums. Read on to discover three of the many benefits that flossing can bring to your gum health.
Reduce the Spread of Oral Bacteria
Natural bacteria in your mouth will form a film of plaque over your teeth throughout the day. It can hurt your teeth and gums, hence the reason we complete oral hygiene is to remove it in a timely fashion. You need to floss at least once a day to clear away plaque build-up between your teeth that a toothbrush cannot reach.
Otherwise, plaque will allow bacteria to spread across your teeth to reach your gums. This increases your risk of contracting oral infections like gum disease, a common type of infection affecting the gum tissue. Though prevalent, gum disease can wreak serious havoc on the look and feel of your smile, so you should avoid it.
Good oral hygiene, especially flossing, reduces bacteria’s ability to spread through your mouth. So you can fight oral infections better when you keep your mouth clean this way.
Prevent Bleeding and Periodontal Discomfort
If you have not flossed for a long time, you might notice some bleeding in your gums when you begin flossing again. This happens when you have a great amount of plaque and tartar collected in this space between your teeth. And disturbing this accumulation can lead to irritation in the gum tissue, including bleeding.
Flossing on a regular basis prevents this build-up so that you do not experience this discomfort in your gums as you floss. This will ultimately lead to healthier gums overall, so you can see a reduced chance of these unpleasant symptoms beyond flossing too.
Identify Early Stages of Gum Disease
Bleeding in the gums might happen acutely, but if the symptom persists and becomes chronic, it could point to gingivitis, an early stage of gum disease. Gum disease is easier to treat when diagnosed promptly. So if you see changes in your gum health, including bleeding while flossing, do not ignore the issue.
Contact your dentist right away if you see problems with your gums. This allows them to intervene quickly to eradicate the infection. Dismissing bleeding in your gums may give the infection time to spread. You might need more extensive treatment as a result, costing you time and money.
Attend routine dental appointments so that a dentist can check your gums regularly for signs of infection. But if you experience periodontal discomfort, you should give your dentist a call.