Gum disease can affect your overall oral health in several different ways. Left untreated, it can cause chronic bad breath, gum inflammation, gum infection, and tooth loss. Severe gum disease can also cause a loss of bone structure in your mouth and complicate other medical conditions.
It is primarily caused when poor oral hygiene habits allow hardened tartar to develop on your teeth near the gumline. Inconsistencies in your daily oral hygiene routine can increase your chances of this happening. This is especially true if you forgo flossing at least once each day.
When flossing your teeth you want to start with an 18-inch strand of floss. You can wrap excess floss around your middle fingers before gripping a small section between your thumb and index fingers.
You should then work the dental floss between two teeth and curve it into a U shape. Then you can and gently clear the space between the teeth while also working the dental floss into your gumline. Make sure you also floss behind your back teeth.
After brushing and flossing, you can vigorously rinse your mouth with antiseptic mouthwash. While antiseptic mouthwash does help remove previously loosened food particles and kill bacteria, it cannot replace the ability of dental floss to remove these materials from your mouth.
If you live in the Auburn, California, area and you have oral hygiene concerns, you can call 530-885-0953 for diagnosis and treatment at Sean P Avera DDS Inc..