When your gums are bothering you, it can feel like there's nothing that provides relief. Many times, a dentist may suggest that you develop better dental hygiene, but sometimes the best treatment for gum pain is to avoid things that could aggravate your gums. By knowing what to avoid, in addition to a better dental hygiene program, you'll be able to ensure your gums heal faster.

Steer Clear Of Water Flossers

Water flossers are an amazing tool if your gums are healthy. They can quickly remove food particles from between your teeth and around your gum line. However, when your gums are inflamed and sore, water flossers may do more harm than good.

Sometimes, when your gums have been really inflamed, they begin to pull away from your teeth. Over time, as your gums pull away more, pockets begin to form that can trap food particles. Where water flossers come in is they can push stray food particles below your gum line. If these food particles get stuck in a pocket, they can lead to infection and cavities making your situation far worse.

Instead of using a water flosser when you have painfully inflamed gums, you should use standard dental floss. Floss doesn't carry the danger of driving food particles below the gum line, so it's a lot safer. Floss may not be as fun to use as a water flosser, but your sore gums will thank you.  

Avoid Hard Bristle Tooth Brushes

A lot of people gravitate toward hard bristle tooth brushes thinking that they can clean your teeth better. However, in most cases hard bristle tooth brushes clean a little too well. They usually wear down your enamel at a faster rate and case gum erosion. If you're using a hard bristle brush when you have sore gums, you could be preventing your gums from healing.

Instead of using a hard bristle tooth brush, you should use a soft bristled tooth brush to clean your teeth with. A soft bristled brush will get your mouth as clean as the hard-bristled brush, but with far less damage to your gums and teeth.

What You Should Do

If you have severe gum pain you should get into your dentist immediately. Many times, people push off dental work thinking that the pain will go away and heal on its own. Sometimes an infection is present in your gums that only your dentist can treat. By avoiding things that are harmful to your gums, and following your dentist's treatment plan, your gums will heal in no time. 

Contact a dental office, like Dentiland, for more help.

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