Using your common sense, eating a well balanced nutritious diet and educating yourself about how to best take care of your teeth and gums are the most important ways to prevent the development of gum disease. Be smart about your health and put daily oral hygiene practices into play at all times.

Learn the proper way to brush your teeth and brush them at least twice a day, and preferably after every meal. Make sure that the bristles of your toothbrush are able to get under the gum line, as this is where bacteria start to grow, along with plaque and tartar.

You look in the mirror and see more tooth than normal and you notice blood on your toothbrush. Your gums look redder than normal and perhaps they are a little swollen. If you are lucky you have caught the gum disease early and with good brushing, flossing and regular visits to your dentist, you can reverse the effects of gum disease.

Unfortunately some individuals won’t catch it in time and they will have bone or tissue damage beyond what tooth brushing and flossing can repair.

Humans are not the only ones to suffer from gum disease. Our pets can also be at risk for gum disease.

Unfortunately for our pets, many pet owners do not realize that teeth are teeth whether they are in a human’s mouth or an animal’s mouth.

There are some differences though in how pet’s teeth can be damaged. Dogs who catch flying saucer-like play toys can experience tooth breakage. Dogs can also encounter tooth damage from biting on hard objects like Sticks, rocks and really hard bones. These injuries can cause a tooth to die, which will then lead to infection or abscess of the bone.