Taking care of your smile often involves a process or series of steps, and once you have this process down, you will be practicing it for the rest of your life. Indeed, whether you are aware of it or not, your smile is constantly on the defensive against oral bacteria, germs, infections, and more, and as such, it is up to us to provide enough additional care to help fend these factors off. Just because you brush consistently and attend your checkups, however, that does not mean you are completely covered. In today’s blog, your Lake Orion, MI dentist takes a look at the significance of flossing after meals, as well as how flossing prioritizes your periodontal health.
A Part of Prevention
It goes without saying that dental prevention is the name of the game when it comes to taking care of your smile. Indeed, while cosmetic care is excellent for surface-level concerns and restorations help salvage teeth after an infection has taken hold, prevention is truly our best line of defense against infection in the first place.
Indeed, your oral health is influenced by various factors, including the foods and beverages you consume, your level of preventive care, and everything else in-between. Further, your smile’s health consists of more components than just your teeth, and your tissues such as your lips, gums, and tongue all play a role as well.
You see, you may believe that flossing is just another requirement your dentist identifies or that it is unnecessary, however, it actually serves a valid purpose. Indeed, flossing addresses gum or periodontal concerns by removing food particles that become lodged and attract harmful bacteria. To learn more about this process, give our team a call today.
Prioritizing Periodontal Health
When oral bacteria are attracted to the gums, they attempt to make their way beneath the gum line. If successful, they can cause plaque and tartar to form on your tooth roots where it remains relatively protected and unbothered by preventive care. Further, this leads to major infection that can cause swelling or inflammation, bleeding, gums to separate from the structures they house, and even complete tooth loss. By flossing, you are able to drastically reduce your chances of developing a periodontal concern.
In-Office Care
In addition to at-home flossing, our team can provide in-house periodontal treatment in the form of scaling and root planing. This process consists of carefully but thoroughly cleaning below the gum line, and it will require a few visits to complete. Though this step is only pursued if you begin to notice any of the signs mentioned above, it is an excellent alternative to mitigating infection.
Learn More Today
Contact Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI by calling 248-693-6213 to learn more about the importance of regular periodontal care, and schedule your next appointment with our team today.
