What do your gums really say about you?

Your gums can actually reveal a lot about your health. Can you answer yes to any of the following?

• Are your gums swollen and red?
• Do you bleed easily when brushing or flossing?
• Does it seem like your teeth are growing?
• Do you have any new gaps or changed alignment?

If you said yes to any of these you may have unhealthy gums.

Gums have a very important job, namely supporting your teeth.  If you take care of them they can do their job well as long as they need to, but if not properly cared for teeth issues will begin to occur sooner rather than later. If your gums aren’t that sought after pink, smooth, tooth hugging style that is so in right now, there are some check points to go through to see what you can do to help.

Swelling in the gums? You may have an abscess. Abscesses usually occur when food gets stuck in the gums, or could be a sign or decay or gum disease.  Take your time when flossing, both morning and night, and make sure you are thorough in getting those hard to reach places.

Change in color of the gums? Don’t Google it. This could be everything from irritation to cancer—most likely a little red is just some irritation, but if they are looking grey, yellow or have spots or spores go ahead and make an appointment with us as soon as possible.

Gums look receded? You may be brushing too hard.  Brushing isn’t a cross-fit workout; it’s more like a yoga class—take it easy and use a soft bristle brush.

Gums can also go further than just tell about your oral health care; they can indicate inflammation in the body, infection, disease, osteoporosis and even cardiovascular disease. Getting regular check-ups and keeping up with your daily care routine is the one of the best ways to keep up with good oral and overall healthcare.

Still concerned about your gums? Request an appointment using the form below or call our office to schedule a visit.