Do you take good care of your teeth? What about your gums? Healthy gums are just as important as healthy teeth. If you're worried about the health of your gums, read this presentation to see if you might have gingivitis.

1. 5 SIGNS OF GUM DISEASE
DO YOU HAVE HEALTHY GUMS?

2. GUMS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS TEETH
• It can be easy to forget about your gums when
you’re so focused on having cavity-free, white
teeth. Unfortunately, if you neglect brushing your
gums and making sure they’re healthy, you can
end up with unhealthy teeth.
• How do you know if you have gum disease or if
something’s wrong? Aside from going to the dentist,
you can check your mouth for these five symptoms:

3. 1. BLEEDING GUMS
If you notice that your gums consistently bleed
when you floss or brush your teeth, you
probably have mild gum disease (gingivitis).

4. 2. TENDER, SWOLLEN GUMS
Swollen gums that hurt when you apply
the smallest amount of pressure to them
are another sign of gingivitis.

5. 3. A RECEDING GUM LINE
A receding gum line is a
gap between the top
edge of your teeth and
the gum line.
You’ll know if you have
receding gum lines if you
notice a painful sensation
when hot or cold drinks
touch the area where
your gum line is receding.

6. 4. PERSISTENT BAD BREATH
We all get bad breath, but it becomes a problem
when you can’t seem to get rid of it. If you still
notice a stale smell even after brushing, chewing
gum or rinsing with mouth wash, that’s not a good
sign. It could be an indicator of gum disease.

7. 5. LOOSE TEETH
If you still have your baby
teeth and are starting to
notice loose teeth, you
obviously shouldn’t be
alarmed.
It’s when you have
permanent teeth that are
starting to feel loose that
you should seek dental
treatment immediately.

8. HOW IS GUM DISEASE TREATED?
• Dentists treat gingivitis through any number of the
following procedures:
• Root scaling and planing: Removing the plaque on your
teeth above and below the gum line.
• Gingivectomy: Removing the diseased gum tissue.
• Extraction: Removing the loose teeth or teeth that are very
decayed and damaged.
• Flap surgery: Cleaning the teeth roots and fixing bone any
bone damage.

9. HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN HEALTHY GUMS?
Keeping your gums healthy is as simple as
brushing them (while you brush your teeth) twice
a day with a soft-bristle brush, flossing once a day
and visiting a dentist every six months.

10. VISIT YOUR DENTIST REGULARLY
Going to your dentist on a regular basis is the best
measure of preventive care. Don’t assume that by
neglecting your dental problems they’ll go away.
Set up an appointment today by visiting
mcbridefamilydental.com or calling 303-466-2221.