How Can I Prevent Gum Disease?

In addition to keeping your teeth clean and functional, good dental health also requires the prevention of bacteria buildup on gum tissue. If you believe you’re suffering from gum disease, or just want to maintain optimal health for your mouth, our Goldsboro dentist can examine your gums and recommend treatment options.

Typical symptoms of gum disease, known in early stages as gingivitis, include redness, swelling and discomfort. If left untreated, it can progress to periodontitis, a more severe form of gum disease where the gums pull away from the teeth, exposing the underlying bone to bacteria. Gum disease is also linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and rheumatoid arthritis.

Thankfully, practicing good oral hygiene every day is one of the best defenses against gum disease. By regularly doing the following, you should be able to keep plaque from accumulating and harming your gums:

• Thoroughly brushing your teeth twice daily
• Flossing your teeth once a day
• Maintaining scheduled appointments with your dentist twice a year for professional cleaning and examination

Our Goldsboro dentists believe a preventative approach to gum disease is the best way to uphold the health of your mouth. However, if you’ve developed periodontitis, we offer root planing and scaling. During root planing and scaling, our dentist will deep clean above and below your gum line, removing potentially harmful bacteria from the roots of your teeth.

To learn more about gum disease treatment, please contact Boles, Ham, Dixon & Boles or call 252-291-2892 today to schedule your initial appointment. Our dentists are pleased to see patients in or around Goldsboro, North Carolina.