Preventing Gum Disease
Gum disease can affect more than just our oral health. The American Dental Association states that, “There is evidence that bacteria in the mouth which are associated with gum disease may be linked to heart disease, artery blockages and stroke.”
There are many people with bad breath, gum problems, and tooth decay. Dental decay and a gum disease called gingivitis are today the most prevalent diseases in man. Immediately after birth, the mouth contains many kinds of bacteria. A few of these bacteria are harmful. These harmful bacteria will form a sticky film called plaque on the teeth and gums. When we eat sugary food, the sugar combines with plaque and feeds the bacteria present within it. Therefore, this Plaque is harmful if allowed to remain on the teeth for more than a day.
If it is not removed daily by brushing and flossing, plaque eventually hardens into calculus or tartar, a mineralized, rock hard substance. Once calculus forms it can only be removed by your dentist or hygienist with special tools. If you could remove plaque or calculus from teeth completely, both decay and gum disease would stop. This is because gum disease is caused by plaque. Gum disease is therefore inflammation of the gums due to plaque.
To remove plaque from your teeth, brush your teeth after every meal. In addition, you should use floss after you brush as well. Dental floss, a strong nylon thread specially made for the purpose of cleaning in-between teeth where a toothbrush does not reach, is meant to compliment brushing and needs to be used daily.
Gum disease and gingivitis is naturally a very slow process that may take many years to reach a degree at which teeth are lost. During all these years, the gum is usually inflamed with gingivitis. If not corrected early, gingivitis will progress into a stage of advanced gingivitis called periodontitis. At the periodontitis stage, even a high quality tooth brush may not control the disease because of the amount of calculus accumulated around the teeth. At the periodontitis stage, the bacteria in the calculus starts producing waste products which create toxins and volatile sulfur compounds. These toxins and volatile sulfur compounds are the ones responsible for bad breath.
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