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Brush Along the Gumline!

By Lone Tree Pediatric Dentistry - February 19, 2020

There are many catch phrases in dentistry such as, “Don’t forget to brush and floss your teeth,” or “Don’t eat too many sugary snacks,” and “Only floss the ones you want to keep!”

One of my personal catch phrases that I say to parents often at Lone Tree Pediatric Dentistry is, “The most commonly neglected place to brush is right along your gumline.” 

We are able to determine patients who do and patients who don’t brush well along their gumline because those who don’t will have puffy, red and inflamed gums along the margins of their gums (where the gums touch the teeth). 

Another indication that patients should improve brushing along their gumline is the presence of white spots on teeth near the gumline.  These white spots represent an early stage of a cavity.  Without an improvement in brushing along the gumline, these white spots can turn into full-blown cavities that have the potential to spread to other teeth or cause pain that can lead to missed school.

When we see patients with gumlines that are red and puffy, we always have a lengthy discussion about how to improve brushing-habits including where the toothbrush bristles need to be aimed, and how best to floss the enhance gum health.

When we notice the presence of white spots along a patient’s gumline, we have the same discussion about increasing oral hygiene habits, and we also often recommend an extra strength toothpaste that can help to turn those early-stage cavities back into healthy tooth structure over time.

Thanks for reading!

Facilitating dental health for you and yours,
Dr. Nick at Lone Tree Pediatric Dentistry