Take Action To Treat And Prevent Gum Disease

Summer has become the time when Hollywood studios release what they hope will be blockbuster movies. Many times these are movies filled with excitement and lots of action.

Fighting Gum Disease may not sound like the title of a movie you want to see, but it’s a story in which we all play a role. Gum disease is like the villain in a horror movie franchise … it never goes away completely.

Actors often go through months of training to get ready for action-heavy parts. With that in mind, Galleria of Smiles wants you to have the tools and the training that you need to convincingly take on periodontal disease.

Part of that is scheduling regular dental cleanings and exams. If you haven’t scheduled your next check-up at our Tulsa, OK, dentist office, then call 918.999.0142 or contact us online today.

 

Getting Ready To Fight!

The best way to deal with gum disease is to do everything that you can to prevent it. To do that, you need to make sure you have the right tools at your disposal.

Fortunately, you have options. Just find the one that works best for you and remember to use it.

First, you need a soft-bristled toothbrush and toothpaste with fluoride. By brushing your teeth, you are helping your gums, too. By brushing, you are removing bacteria from your mouth, and the fewer bacteria, the less likely you are to develop gum disease (and tooth decay, too).

Brush twice a day for two minutes each time, and be sure to clean your teeth on all sides.

Second, you need to clean the space between your teeth and gums. This is something you should do on a daily basis, but a recent ADA survey suggests that less than half of all people actually do.

Here you have a few options to consider, one of which we are sure will work for you:
➡ Dental floss — This is the best known interdental cleaner. You can use any kind of dental floss you like (waxed or unwaxed, flavored or unflavored, regular, thick, or thin). If you do, break off about 18 inches, wrap the ends around your fingers, and hug the floss around your teeth on both sides to clean under the gumline.

➡ Flossers — For people who find dental floss uncomfortable or difficult to use, flossers are a great alternative. Flossers have a short handle with a strand of floss on the other end. This may make it easier to reach the teeth in the back of your mouth.

➡ Water flossers — These tools using a stream of water to clean the places that your toothbrush can’t reach.

➡ Interdental brushes — Patients with braces often use these to clean between their brackets, wires, and teeth. If you do use brushes to clean between your teeth, make sure you pick ones that fit comfortably. You should not have to force the brushes between your teeth.

 

Work With Your Team — That’s Us!

In most action films, the hero is a leader, but also part of a team. That team provides support and helps by providing assistance where they can.

That’s what our dental professionals at Galleria of Smiles can do for you. By checking in with us a few times a year, we can examine your mouth for any signs of gum disease. If we see anything, we’ll let you know what you can do to treat it. (More on this in a moment.)

We also will give you a thorough professional cleaning. This will remove any tartar or plaque that you may have missed in your daily brushing and flossing.

Think of this sort of like changing the oil in your car or truck. It’s a simple thing you can do to help keep things running smoothly. Regular check-ups along with a good daily oral hygiene routine could prevent you from developing periodontal problems.

 

Treating Gum Disease

If you do develop gum disease, we’re here to help with that, too. Think of this as the backup plan for when plan A doesn’t go quite as well as we planned.

As part of our general dentistry, we offer laser scaling and root planing. The laser helps us get rid of plaque and tartar around the roots of your teeth.

For advanced gum disease, we also have the Waterlase, which passes a laser through water to effectively remove infected gum tissue without the need for a scalpel or a drill.

 

Let’s Do This Together!

If you live in or near Tulsa, OK, our dentist office is here to work with you and for you in the never-ending fight against gum disease. Contact us online or call 918.999.0142 to request your appointment soon.