Take These Steps to Reduce Your Risk of Gum Disease

While your dentist in Renton, WA, can provide you with capable treatment for gum disease, it’s always best to do what you can to avoid the condition entirely. Maintaining good oral hygiene is essential if you want to keep gum disease at bay. Here are some simple steps that you can take to reduce your chances of contracting this serious and all-too-common disease.

Quit Using Tobacco Products

Smoking and chewing tobacco are two habits that can have a terrible long-term effect on the health of your gums. Over time, any form of tobacco use can make you vulnerable to tooth decay, weakened gums, and gum disease. The surest way to protect your oral health is to cut out using all tobacco products completely.

Eat a Healthy Diet

If you drink a lot of soda and eat a lot of sugary snacks, it’s not going to do your teeth any good. Adopting a better diet with plenty of nuts, vegetables, and lean meats like fish will not only help to keep you fit and healthy; it can also help to protect your teeth and gums from plaque and disease.

Don’t Forget to Floss

While most people know that you should brush twice a day to keep your teeth clean, not everybody is as diligent about flossing. But your toothbrush can’t catch all of the food particles that get wedged between your teeth. Flossing regularly is the only effective way to keep plaque from developing in those spaces.

Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Even daily brushing and flossing isn’t enough to keep your teeth completely clean. Routine cleaning at your dentist’s office every six months will help to ensure that your teeth and gums stay strong and healthy. In addition, regular dental checkups will allow your dentist to check and make sure that you aren’t showing any of the signs of early gum disease.