{"id":14215,"date":"2022-10-21T21:27:34","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T21:27:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/?p=14215"},"modified":"2026-01-08T19:39:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T19:39:25","slug":"how-to-prioritize-gum-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/","title":{"rendered":"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Smiling woman showing her healthy gums\" class=\"wp-image-14216\" width=\"294\" height=\"195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1.jpg 1430w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>When it comes to oral health, teeth often steal the spotlight. So, it\u2019s not surprising that many patients think brushing is all that\u2019s needed to keep their smile happy and healthy! In reality, that\u2019s not the case. In fact, roughly 50% of Americans struggle with some form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/gum-disease-treatment.html\">gum disease<\/a>. As a result, there\u2019s no time like the present to implement some new best practices designed to prioritize your gum health. Read on to learn a few!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First, Why Should You Prioritize Gum Health?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While there are obvious cosmetic drawbacks to red, inflamed, and infected gums, prioritizing your gum health benefits your overall well-being as well. To begin, gum disease can result in tooth loss in the severe stages, making it harder to eat crunchy foods, like fruits and vegetables. Naturally, this can result in poor nutrition, which can lead to problems like fatigue, dizziness, and chronic headaches. It\u2019s also worth noting that gum disease has been linked to inflammation that can increase your risk of serious conditions like heart disease. That\u2019s why it\u2019s of the utmost importance that you focus on caring for your teeth <em>and<\/em> your gums!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6 Ways to Keep Your Gums Healthy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you know <em>why<\/em> it\u2019s important to take care of your gums, it\u2019s time to discuss <em>how<\/em>. Here are a few best practices to help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brush your teeth twice a day, cleaning along the gumline in the process<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Floss consistently and daily<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rinse with mouthwash each morning or evening<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Replace your toothbrush every three to four months<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limit your intake of sugary foods and drinks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quit unhealthy dental habits, like chewing on toothpicks and smoking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Importance of Dental Checkups and Cleanings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Naturally, the above list isn\u2019t complete without routine dental checkups and cleanings. These visits are crucial for healthy gums for several reasons. To begin, periodic exams ensure your dentist can look for gum disease and intervene in the early stages if it is detected. Furthermore, the cleaning portion of your visit will remove stubborn plaque and tartar, which will help prevent gum disease moving forward. Last, but most certainly not least, these appointments give you an opportunity to talk directly with your dentist about how you can maintain or improve your oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since gum health impacts everything from your nutrition to your heart, it\u2019s of the utmost importance that you prioritize it each and every day. Of course, if you need any help caring for your smile, then don\u2019t hesitate to talk to your dentist!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our goal at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/\">Westgate Dental Care<\/a> is to help patients in and around Arlington Heights achieve and maintain healthy smiles. To accomplish this, we are proud to offer both meticulous preventive care and effective periodontal treatment! If you need the latter, you\u2019ll be happy to know that we have painless soft tissue laser therapy and utilize the latest dental technology. As a result, your journey to healthier gums will be comfortable, efficient, and positive. If you want to learn more about how to care for your gums or you\u2019d like to schedule an appointment, don\u2019t hesitate to visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or call <strong>(847) 577-7171<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to oral health, teeth often steal the spotlight. So, it\u2019s not surprising that many patients think brushing is all that\u2019s needed to keep their smile happy and healthy! In reality, that\u2019s not the case. In fact, roughly 50% of Americans struggle with some form of gum disease. As a result, there\u2019s no [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health | Westgate Dental Care<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your teeth aren\u2019t the only thing that matters when it comes to oral health \u2013 your gums do too! Here\u2019s how you can prioritize gum health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health | Westgate Dental Care\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Your teeth aren\u2019t the only thing that matters when it comes to oral health \u2013 your gums do too! Here\u2019s how you can prioritize gum health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1.jpg\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"drkics\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/004b7f4b5de6b316e65a9ad1361ab344\"},\"headline\":\"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-21T21:27:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-08T19:39:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":543,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Picture1-1024x682.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/\",\"name\":\"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health | Westgate Dental Care\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Picture1-1024x682.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-21T21:27:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-08T19:39:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/004b7f4b5de6b316e65a9ad1361ab344\"},\"description\":\"Your teeth aren\u2019t the only thing that matters when it comes to oral health \u2013 your gums do too! Here\u2019s how you can prioritize gum health.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Picture1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Picture1.jpg\",\"width\":1430,\"height\":953},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Westgate Dental Care Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/004b7f4b5de6b316e65a9ad1361ab344\",\"name\":\"drkics\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health | Westgate Dental Care","description":"Your teeth aren\u2019t the only thing that matters when it comes to oral health \u2013 your gums do too! Here\u2019s how you can prioritize gum health.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health | Westgate Dental Care","twitter_description":"Your teeth aren\u2019t the only thing that matters when it comes to oral health \u2013 your gums do too! Here\u2019s how you can prioritize gum health.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1.jpg","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/"},"author":{"name":"drkics","@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/004b7f4b5de6b316e65a9ad1361ab344"},"headline":"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health","datePublished":"2022-10-21T21:27:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-08T19:39:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/"},"wordCount":543,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1-1024x682.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/","url":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/","name":"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health | Westgate Dental Care","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1-1024x682.jpg","datePublished":"2022-10-21T21:27:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-08T19:39:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/004b7f4b5de6b316e65a9ad1361ab344"},"description":"Your teeth aren\u2019t the only thing that matters when it comes to oral health \u2013 your gums do too! Here\u2019s how you can prioritize gum health.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Picture1.jpg","width":1430,"height":953},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2022\/10\/21\/how-to-prioritize-gum-health\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"An Inside Look at the Importance of Gum Health"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/","name":"Westgate Dental Care Blog","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/004b7f4b5de6b316e65a9ad1361ab344","name":"drkics"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14215"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14217,"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14215\/revisions\/14217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}