How to Cure Gum Disease Naturally
Gum disease is caused by poor oral hygiene and also becomes more common with age. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 75 percent of people older than 35 have gum disease. In its earliest stages, gum disease causes your gums to feel sensitive and bleed. In later stages, the gums start to pull away from the teeth, which can lead to infections and even losing teeth. While seeing a dentist is important, there are plenty of things that you can do to cure gum disease.
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Instructions
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Eat a healthy diet. Staying away from candy, sodas and other sugary foods is a first step to eliminating gum disease. It is especially important to stay away from gooey substances that can stick to your teeth. Eating a healthy, balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables will help keep you healthy overall and boost your immune system, which can help you fight off the bacteria that cause gum disease. Eating hard, fibrous fruits and vegetables can also help clean and stimulate your teeth and gums.
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Don't smoke. According to the FDA, people who smoke are seven times more likely to get gum disease than nonsmokers. Smoking can also negatively affect some treatments for gum disease.
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Avoid stress. Not only does stress lower your body's immune defenses, making it harder for your body to fight off infections, but there is another way stress can help cause gum disease. People under stress can tend to clench and grind their teeth, which can lead to destruction of the supporting tissues of the teeth, which in turn can increase the risk for gum disease.
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Brush and floss your teeth. Brushing and flossing are equally important to removing plaque and bacteria. Brushing takes care of plaque on the surfaces of the teeth, while flossing removes plaque from in between the teeth and underneath the gum line. Colgate Total is a toothpaste that contains an FDA-approved anti-bacterial agent.
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Use baking soda. A four-year study in the late 1980s at the University of Minnesota showed that a mixture of baking soda, salt and hydrogen peroxide was about as effective as commercial toothpastes at removing plaque and bacteria in the mouth.
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Try other natural remedies. Though no studies have measured their effectiveness, people use a variety of substances to try to cure gum disease naturally. These include rinsing the mouth with hydrogen peroxide to help inhibit bacteria growth and brushing with an aloe vera gel, which can help heal bleeding gums and reduce plaque.
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Tips & Warnings
None of these recommendations is a substitute for regular dental care. Only a qualified dentist can evaluate and recommend proper treatment for gum disease.
Resources
- Photo Credit wikipedia.org
