Week 3 of The GUM PerioBalance Challenge with @NiaVardalos Tips & Tricks

It’s Week 3 of my GUM PerioBalance Challenge with @NiaVardalos and we are nearing the home stretch.  Something kind of cute and embarrassing happened this week that I thought I would share with you all.  My youngest son has made it a habit on the weekend to come in my room on the weekends and snuggle with me before I get out of bed.  I really look forward to these rare moments but they always end too sudden because he has a hard time tolerating my “morning breath” and once I start kissing on him he runs for cover.  Well, this morning he didn’t run away.  As a matter of fact he told me my breath wasn’t “stinky” (his word, not mine) like it usually is….  As I said, it was bittersweet, but largely due to PerioBalance I’m sure of it!

Last week we addressed the topic of healthy gums but this week there are some other handy tips and tricks the GUM crew gave me to share.  Although healthy gums is an important part of  your oral hygiene, it isn’t the only thing that counts.  Brushing and flossing your teeth are equally important to the overall health of you mouth.  Earlier this week I shared the tip about changing your toothbrush whenever you are sick, but have you thought about these other things?

• Brush twice a day for at least two full minutes. Hold the toothbrush at a 45 degree angle against your teeth.  Brush your teeth, gum tissues, cheeks and tongue.
• It’s recommended that you replace your toothbrush every three months.
• Floss daily before brushing – brushing alone reaches only 3 out of 5 tooth surfaces! Flossing reaches between your teeth where periodontal disease can start.
• If you’re often on the go or have trouble flossing, try using GUM® Soft-Picks® to conveniently and discreetly remove food and plaque and massage gums throughout the day.
• If you have bridges, crowns, braces or implants, use GUM® Go-Betweens® Cleaners to remove plaque from those hard to reach places between teeth.
• Eat nutritious, balanced meals and limit snacking on sugary sweets.

I keep these these Go-Betweens Cleaners in my desk at work.  I have some crowns so they are perfect for me, but also they come in 3 different “sizes” which is especially convenient.  My teeth are extremely close and so I use the tight fit but they also come in moderate and wide.  Since I don’t have easy access to brushing and flossing while working sometimes I grab the Go-Betweens for a quick once over after lunch.  I have tried the Soft-Picks as well, but I’m a pretty good flosser now and don’t really need them anymore.  I can whip out a piece of floss and take care of business without a mirror now!  Major accomplishment.

Although I was going to share my changes with you visually this week I decided to wait until next week to SHOW you some differences PerioBalance has made in my oral health and if you missed the post about the kick off of our challenge you can find it here: Week 1 PerioBalance and Week 2 PerioBalance.  Stay tuned!