Part of taking care of your teeth is brushing and flossing every day. Brushing is not difficult but flossing can be. This is especially true if you cannot open your mouth wide enough to floss. You still need to find a way to floss, however. If you do not, you will have many problems, one of which is gum disease. Below is more information about this, as well as some tips to help you find ways you can floss your teeth.

Gum Disease

When you do not floss, food and other debris gets stuck between your teeth. If you do not have a dental cleaning to remove it, this debris can get into your gums, and then, infection can set in.

You will first start to notice that your gums bleed when brushing your teeth. Your gums may also look swollen and be tender when touched. Another sign is your gums pull away from your teeth, making your teeth appear longer. The infection can also cause tooth pain, and you may constantly have a bad taste in your mouth and/or bad breath.

The first stage of gum disease is called gingivitis, and this stage can be treated. To do this, your dentist will clean and scale your teeth. Scaling is scraping your teeth to remove built up tartar. The dentist will also thoroughly clean in between your teeth.

If your gum disease is in the later stages, the only treatment is to remove your teeth. To replace them, you can get dentures, which you can take in and out of your mouth. Another treatment is dental implants, which is when teeth are surgically implanted into your gums. Once the surgery is finished, the teeth will look and act like normal teeth.

Tips to Floss

You can find a floss pick, also known as a floss wand, to help you floss your teeth. This tool holds the floss, so you don't have to. The floss is attached to something that looks much like a toothbrush. You can also find flossers that are much shorter than a toothbrush. This can make it easier because you will not have to have your hands in your mouth along with the floss.

You could also purchase a water jet, which is a toothbrush that is attached to a device filled with water. When you turn the device on, water shoots out of the toothbrush. This water also shoots between your teeth, removing food and debris. Most water jets also come with flossers to make things even easier for you.

Talk to your dentist about gingivitis, and they can give you much more information. The dentist can also give you tips on how to floss your teeth.

For more information, talk to companies like Fuller Periodontics & Implant Dentistry.