For ideal oral health, you need both healthy teeth and healthy gums. Proper oral hygiene, along with regular checkups at Town Dental Group in Mint Hill, helps keep both your teeth and gums in good shape.

Your brushing technique is important, too. Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle with the bristle tips aimed at the line where the tooth and gum meet. The bristles of a soft toothbrush can clean the food particles in the pockets in front and in back of the tooth, but you need floss to clean between the teeth. Be sure to get the floss down into the pocket between the gum and teeth. Scrape food particles up and out of the pocket.

Back to toothbrushing: if the toothbrush is not held at the correct angle, the bristles can’t get in the pockets to clean out the bacteria before it turns into enamel-damaging plaque. If plaque multiplies in the pockets around the teeth, the gum will start pulling away.

Eventually, the pockets will become too deep for your toothbrush bristles to reach. Unfortunately, the lower part of the tooth can’t fight decay as well as the part above the gumline.

There is more than one way to damage your teeth—even if the visible parts of your teeth are cavity-free, gum disease can cause issues with the parts you can’t see.

At Town Dental Group in Mint Hill, we provide comprehensive general and cosmetic dentistry, including thorough cleanings and checkups. Schedule your next appointment with us today.