Check us out on YouTube as we talk teeth #watchyourmouthSpanish
Check us out on YouTube as we talk teeth #watchyourmouthSpanish

Can Gum Disease Be Cured at Home?

Understanding Gum Disease

Today’s question is, can I cure gum disease at home? While that’s a great noble effort, unfortunately, you can’t cure gum disease because, basically, gum disease is an accumulation of bacteria and debris on the teeth. Once it gets to the point of gum disease, it needs professional help to get back to a healthy state.

Controlling Gum Disease

Now, you can absolutely control healthy gums, and a good home care regimen is crucial to preventing gum disease from recurring and getting worse. So the best answer to that question is no, you can’t cure it at home, but you can absolutely control it. While you can’t eliminate gum disease at home, there are many steps you can take to help maintain a healthy mouth and prevent the situation from getting worse.

Recommended Home Care Practices

Electric Toothbrush

The number one thing I would recommend for preventing gum disease from getting worse is an electric toothbrush. We recommend a Philip Sonicare. We give ’em to all our patients and make sure they use them. This toothbrush is fantastic because it gets in between the teeth, gets into areas that you can’t quite reach with a manual toothbrush, and actually shoots down into areas that are hard to reach, nooks and crannies that are trapping food that brushing and flossing might not get out with a regular toothbrush.

Flossing

On that note, flossing is the second thing you can do to really help maintain and manage your gum health consistently. Flossing twice a day is not only going to remove big pieces of food, big pieces of plaque and bacteria attached to the teeth, but it’s also going to stimulate your gum tissue to be healthy and grow and fill those little spaces so more food doesn’t get trapped.

Flossing Techniques

The best way to floss is, traditionally, with regular floss, going in between the teeth and hugging each tooth from side to side. If you’re in a pinch, you’re out and about, and you don’t want to spend the proper time flossing, flossers are a great option for removing gross debris. If you have a big piece of food stuck in between your teeth, don’t reach for a toothpick. Don’t reach for a business card. Don’t reach for the menu to kind of wedge in there to knock the food out. Flossers are great. They loosen the food up well if you are on the go. But for your regular home care regimen, I would recommend traditional floss, and we have a couple of videos that can show you the right way to floss your teeth.

Mouth Rinse

The third aspect of home care that’s going to help prevent gum disease from progressing is mouth rinse. You have many options to choose from, from alcohol-free to mouthwash with alcohol and a variety of different flavors. There are lots of options, but the most important thing is that you choose an ADA-approved mouth rinse, one that you like the flavor, the taste, and the way it makes your teeth feel, and if you can incorporate that into your daily regimen, your daily routine, it does a really good job in conjunction when paired up with the brushing and flossing.

Importance of Patient Education

One of the things that I’m most proud of about our dental practice is that we do a great job of patient education. I feel that if people know and understand the risks and dangers of not taking care of their teeth and not having a good home care regimen, then they’re really going to understand that they’re taking chances with their mouths and teeth.

Conclusion

So, if you have questions about home care, if you have questions about brushing, flossing, or how to take care of your teeth, give us a call and come in to see us. We’d love to educate you and inform you and help you take care of your teeth. I’m Dr. Brett Langston. I’m here to help you watch your mouth.