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When people think about their oral hygiene, they often forget that their gums play an important role in keeping their mouth healthy. Your gums are important for many reasons.
Keeping them healthy gives your teeth the support they need and can prevent gum disease. While many people think the only way to keep their gums healthy is to brush them, you can actually drink water to help them stay healthy.
Ways Water Helps Your Gums
Everyone knows water is an essential part of life, but they may not know its importance to oral health. Water provides the body hydration, which can also keep your mouth from becoming dry. Dry mouths are susceptible to gum disease because saliva helps prevent bacterial growth in the mouth. When the mouth is dry, bacteria are free to grow, which may lead to gum disease. Drinking enough water helps your body produce enough saliva and keeps the mouth moist throughout the day.
Another way water can help protect the gums is its effect on teeth. Teeth and gums work in conjunction with one another. If one is in poor health, the other suffers. Drinking tap water can help to strengthen your teeth’s enamel because of the fluoride in the water. Fluoride bonds to your teeth’s enamel and makes it stronger helping it resist bacterial decay better. Teeth that are weak can become decayed more easily leading to gum disease.
Of course, drinking water alone won’t keep your mouth healthy. It’s important to brush and floss your teeth and gums at least twice a day and visit our office every six months for a teeth cleaning. Taking these steps will ensure that your gums and teeth are healthy for a very long time. If you’re interested in setting up an appointment today, please give our office a call!