Preventive Dental Care

If your gums start bleeding while you’re flossing, should you keep flossing? Absolutely!

Bleeding while flossing is often a sign that you need to be flossing your gums more thoroughly or frequently—not that they should be left alone. It might sound counterintuitive, but the more you floss, the less your gums will bleed, unless the bleeding is related to physical damage to your gum tissue or a systemic issue. Many patients will stop flossing an area that bleeds, but the best thing to do is to give that area more attention!

Other Reasons Why Your Gums Might Bleed During Flossing

For most patients, simply flossing more often is enough to stop bleeding gums. However, there are several other reasons why your gums could bleed while flossing, including:

• You could be using poor flossing techniques
• You may not be brushing your gums properly while brushing your teeth
• You may have an accumulation of plaque and tartar on your teeth
• You may have had your teeth cleaned recently and had a lot of build-up removed
• You may have gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease

If the bleeding hasn’t gone away within 3-10 days, schedule an appointment to have your dentist check it out. We’ll evaluate your flossing technique and determine whether you may need a cleaning or periodontal care. Gingivitis and gum disease are both very common, but the good news is that they can be reversed in the early stages.

How Often Should You Floss Your Teeth?

Flossing is very important because it can get into areas that your toothbrush bristles can’t. No matter how well you brush your teeth, if you’re not flossing, you’re essentially only cleaning about 50% of your mouth. If you only floss occasionally, your gums will probably bleed because the tissue isn’t used to the stimulation; regular flossing helps the gum tissue become more resilient.

Although some patients floss after every meal, simply flossing once a day will do wonders for your oral health! The best time to floss is typically before you brush your teeth at the end of the day. This will allow the fluoride to make the most contact with your teeth. If you have questions about how to floss your teeth properly, we’d be happy to give you a demonstration!

The bottom line: your gums may bleed from time to time, and generally, it’s not serious. Start flossing more often, and it should go away. But if your gums bleed regularly, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your dentist! Contact your closest Enamel location or book an appointment online.

Whether you’re expecting a child or are a brand new parent, there are so many questions and new routines to develop—including those surrounding oral health. Your baby may not have teeth for a while, but it’s never too early to get prepared for when they do! Although they’ll eventually fall out, baby teeth essentially lay the foundation for adult teeth. When baby teeth are decayed, broken, or missing, it can cause changes to the structure of your child’s mouth and affect the development of their adult teeth and their speech.

With that in mind, here are a few helpful tips to give your child a head start on a healthy smile!

1. Introduce brushing and flossing early.

Brushing should begin as early as possible; in fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry advises new parents to start cleaning or brushing their baby’s gums from day one. This should be done after every meal using an infant toothbrush or a soft washcloth soaked in cool, clean water. Flossing should start as soon as your child has two teeth that touch. Making brushing and flossing a part of their routine early gets them used to it and makes it easier for them to establish it as a daily habit later on.

2. Wipe or rinse your child’s mouth after giving them medication.

Baby medicine is very sugary and can contribute to tooth decay if it’s allowed to sit on the surface of your child’s teeth. After each dose of medication, make sure to rinse their mouth out with water or wipe their teeth with a wet washcloth.

3. Introduce hard foods early on.

Giving your child hard foods will help aid their facial development and give added support for their jaw once their teeth come in.

4. Follow bottles of milk with water.

Baby bottle tooth decay is very common among infants. It’s generally caused by drinking milk or sugary beverages in a bottle without cleaning their mouth afterward. To avoid this, give your child some water in a bottle after they’ve had milk, and avoid giving them bottles with sugary beverages.

5. Find a pediatric dentist by age one.

Children should start seeing the dentist at a year old or at the eruption of their first tooth—whichever comes first. Like brushing and flossing, the younger children start visiting the dentist, the sooner they’ll get used to it! Early dental visits are also a great way to ensure your child doesn’t develop dental anxiety—plus, they give our dentists a chance to develop a relationship with your child and understand their unique oral health challenges.

Set Your Child Up for a Lifetime of Healthy Smiles

Maintaining excellent oral health is a lifelong journey and Enamel Dentistry is proud to offer quality pediatric care in Austin and Dallas TX. Whether you’re bringing your infant or toddler in for their first appointment or you have an older child who needs routine or restorative care, you can rely on us to help your family have strong, healthy smiles. To get your child established at our practice, contact the closest Enamel Dentistry location near you or request an appointment online.

If you have a persistent or severe toothache, this may indicate that you have an infected tooth. If this is the case, it’s critical to come in for an emergency appointment to get a root canal and restore your tooth. 

Enamel Dentistry offers emergency care and expert root canal therapy, and we want to make sure that our patients are informed about the signs and symptoms of infected teeth. Here are a few things to keep in mind about emergency dental care and root canal therapy in Austin:   

Emergency Dentists Are Fully Qualified To Perform Root Canals

If you’re wondering whether an emergency dentist can do a root canal, the answer is “yes!” All dentists are trained to provide root canal therapy during their time at dental school. Any qualified emergency dentist at Enamel Dentistry is fully capable of performing a root canal.

In fact, an emergency dentist is often the best choice for a root canal. Instead of waiting for an appointment with a specialized endodontist, you can get help immediately. The sooner you get a root canal, the more likely it is that you will be able to save your tooth. 

The Signs And Symptoms Of An Infected Tooth

Here are a few of the signs and symptoms of a tooth infection:

• A prolonged toothache that lasts several days and won’t go away
• Pain that radiates from the tooth to your jaw bone, neck or ear
• Discoloration of the affected tooth or nearby gums
• Swelling of the gums near the affected tooth
• Sensitivity to heat, cold and the pressure of biting or chewing
• Swelling in your cheek or face

If you notice one or more of these symptoms, your tooth may be infected. When you come in for emergency care, we will assess your smile and offer a diagnosis. If your tooth is infected, we will remove the source of your infection and save your tooth. During treatment, one of our dentists will open up the tooth, remove the decayed material from the inside, disinfect it, then fill and restore it to ensure that your tooth is protected from further decay and damage.

An Infected Tooth Is A Dental Emergency – Get Same-Day Care From Enamel Dentistry 

A tooth infection certainly qualifies as a dental emergency, and it’s important to get help as soon as you can to make sure you can save your damaged tooth. At Enamel Dentistry, we offer same-day emergency dentistry in our offices throughout Austin.

With same-day care, you can reduce your risk of further complications and get relief from the pain and discomfort of your infected tooth. If you need an emergency root canal, take a look at our locations and contact the Enamel Dentistry office nearest to you for a same-day emergency appointment.