Three Reasons Behind The Most Common Periodontal Advice

When you visit your periodontist, you will likely hear the same advice you've heard in previous visits. You will likely hear that you need to avoid smoking, drinking, certain foods, or that you need to floss and brush more. The key point that some professionals may overlook is telling you why you need to do these things, why these things may be bad for you, and how they are damaging your periodontal health. Here are three reasons behind the most common periodontal advice to not only tell you what you need to avoid or do, but also why you need to do it.

Avoid Smoking and Chewing Tobacco

One thing you will hear from your periodontist is to avoid smoking and chewing tobacco. You see this on posters, fliers, and in most health magazines. What you may not be told is why you should avoid these products. One reason is that tobacco makes it difficult for your mouth and gums to heal or repair damage.

If you have periodontal disease, and you choose to smoke, you could be hindering your own healing process. Chewing tobacco also causes small abrasions on your mouth and gums. This means you may be constantly damaging your mouth and recreating the same issues that caused you to be in the periodontal chair to begin with.

Look at Your Whole Health Profile

You may have heard that you need to pay attention to your overall physical health and not just your oral health. The reason is that your overall health can effect or be the cause of the reasons you are having periodontal health problems now.

For example, illnesses such as cancer or infection can cause immune problems that lead to you being a likely candidate for periodontal health issues and disease. If you are having gum issues or oral health problems, consider seeing your general practitioner as well to rule out connecting health issues that need attention.

Increase Brushing and Flossing Routines

One of the most common bits of advice you will hear in a dental office is to concentrate on or increase your brushing and flossing routines. The reason you should is because your current routine clearly isn't working. When you avoid flossing or brushing you are allowing everything you have eaten and come in contact with to sit on your teeth and gums. This means decaying food, sugars, and other food related debris is sitting on your gum line until it is moved during oral care. If your current routine isn't working, increase the frequency or ask your dentist for advice on what you may need to do.

The trick to these three pieces of advice, the reasons for the advice, and why you should pay attention is to be honest with yourself. Look at your own health, your oral care routines, and contributing factors that could lead to the issues you are currently having. Discuss this with your periodontist and general practitioner and work out a new routine that works best for you.