Elgin

910 Lee Dildy Blvd #260 Elgin, Texas 78621
Categories
Dental care

Tips for soothing sore gums

Painful gums can have many reasons behind it. They can either be the consequence of hard brushing and flossing or the result of wearing dentures or braces. This pain can even be a sign of upcoming severe gum diseases. For women, the list is quite longer having hormonal changes during pregnancy, menopause, etc. as additional causes. Whatever be the reason, it is always so annoying and disturbing, which is why you need to be aware of a handful of remedies for the same.

Have a look on top 5 tips for soothing sore gums:

  • Rinse with lukewarm salt water- Take 1 cup of lukewarm water and pour it into a cold glass. Add one tablespoon of salt in that, mix well, and rinse with it. Spit it after 20-30 seconds; do not swallow. The salt in the water helps to kill the bacterias and thus prevent gum diseases.
  • Apply warm and cold compresses- One of the best ways to deal with these painful gums is compresses- hot and cold both will do.

For hot compress- Heat up some water, dip a clean cloth in it, squeeze to remove the extra water, and then place it on the painful area.

Note- Make sure you don’t overheat the water, and it is bearable to your skin.

For cold compresses- Enfold the ice packs in a clean cloth and place it in the spring area. Repeat till the swelling comes down.

  • Oral anesthetic gels- There are various oral anesthetic gels available in the market. They help to numb the gums and treat the pain. You only need to follow the instructions printed in the packaging.
  • Hydrogen Peroxide- It is excellent to remove the bacterias and germs. Take equal parts of water and hydrogen peroxide, then mix them well. After that, swish the mouth with the solution for about 20 seconds and then rinse it with warm water.
  • Teabags- Take a small tea bag( tea like green tea, black tea, or hibiscus tea) having astringent properties or the anti-inflammatory properties, dip it in the boiling water for around 5 minutes as you do for making tea. Then let it cool for a few minutes and place it on the sore gums after it becomes bearable.
    If the solutions mentioned above do not help to heal the pain and the pain turns stubborn, you can take the pain killers but take the dosage as per the directions only. These pain killers are meant to give you immediate relief.

One primary reason behind such painful gums can be the negligence towards proper oral hygiene, which is why you need to be careful towards maintaining the appropriate routine and visit your dentist for periodic checkups. This will not only ensure the excellent health of the teeth and the gums but also soothe the sore gums.

However, when the pain is long-lasting, you definitely need to see your doctor get the actual cause behind it. Your doctor will examine the condition of the gums and may ask you several questions regarding the same. Be true to answer them and follow the instructions accordingly.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

Categories
Dental care

Do Sports and Energy Drink Consumption Damages Tooth Enamel

Food has a vital role in making or ruining your teeth enamel. This is the food ingredient that can invite the accumulation of Bacteria’s and then lead to decaying teeth. That is why it becomes essential to take care of what you eat or drink. Now, many people have given up on the sugary drinks as they are aware of the harmful effects, but what about the acidic drinks?

So, sports and energy drinks that are highly acidic can cause irreversible harm to the teeth.

The popularity of sports and energy drinks

We have been noticing the upsurge in the popularity of sports and energy drinks and its rapidly rising market value. These are taken to enhance efficiency while playing games and maintain stamina. The same benefit has made these drinks so popular among youngsters, especially amongst those who are involved in strenuous activities. Moreover, on average, an energy drink contains 55 grams of sugar, making double the amount recommended to take in a day.

How are energy drinks bad for your enamel?

Most of you may not clean your teeth after eating some food, which makes your mouth prone to plaque formation and the accumulation of bacteria’s. It leads to the gradual depletion of enamel. When this hardest substance of your body (enamel) gets damaged, your teeth are no longer safe. Same happens during the intake of energy drinks as they have a significant amount of acid in them.

After your enamel gets damaged, you become susceptible to sensitivity, followed by pain and discomfort. Plus, the damaged enamel is hard to treat thereby making the decaying severe.

What should you do: preventing dental erosion?

Now that you are aware of the harmful effects of these acidic drinks, you need to care about their consumption. You can reduce the frequency of the use of all the acidic beverages. In addition to this, there are a few tips that you must follow:

  • Switch to healthier alternatives like green juices, protein shakes, green tea and water.
  • If you are determined to take the acidic drinks, take them after the meal so that the saliva maintains the balance.
  • Try to avoid taking any acidic food before bedtime as the saliva production decreases during sleep.
  • Do not brush immediately before or after consuming acidic food and drinks, including sports and energy drinks.
  • Revitalize the production of saliva by chewing sugarless gums.

Follow a proper dental hygiene routine

So, yes, the intake of sports and energy drinks is really harmful when it comes to calculating their effect on the teeth enamel. If you or any close one of yours is addicted to them, you need to make them aware about its consequences and suggest they go for a periodic dental check-up and consult with the dentist about the condition of the teeth.

At the same time, you need to adhere to the prescribed dental hygiene and make sure that you don’t get addicted to any food that weakness the enamel.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.