What is a pocket in your gums? Much like the pockets sewn into your pants or jacket, a gum pocket is a deep space that collects things between your teeth and gums. Unfortunately, instead of spare change, gum pockets carry food particles, bacteria, plaque, and even infections.
How to Treat Gum Pockets
A typical sign of worsening gum disease, gum pockets call for a dentist’s attention and meticulous oral hygiene at home.
Gum pockets (also called “periodontal pockets”) will not heal on their own, and they can get worse over time. Treatment by a dental professional is the best way to reduce gum pocket depth.
If your dentist has examined you and prescribed treatment, you’ve already taken the first step to improving your condition. Following through with that treatment plan is second critical step to slowing or stopping the damage. (Of course, if you haven’t seen a dentist, now is the time.)
The third important step is to care for your gum pockets at home:
Brush teeth at least twice a day. While brushing alone is not enough to clean periodontal pockets, proper brushing is essential to controlling dental plaque and bacteria growth.
Water floss after meals using the Pik PocketTM tip. Water flossing with this specially designed soft tip gently flushes away food and bacteria to clean out gum pockets. Water flossing also stimulates gum tissue to help it heal.
Use antimicrobial rinses, as prescribed by your dentist. Adding mouth rinses to the water in your water flosser reservoir is an easy and gentle way to deliver therapeutic rinses deep within hard-to-reach gum pockets. In fact, the PIK POCKET tip can access up to 90% of a 6mm pocket. Clinical research shows that WATERPIK water flossers can help reduce gum pocket depth, too.
Effective & Gentle Cleaning to Reduce Gum Pockets
Treating periodontal pockets can slow or stop the spread of gum disease, but professional treatment alone won’t keep the condition from returning later.
Maintaining good oral health requires caring for your gums at home. Whether you choose a countertop, cordless, Complete Care, or Sonic-FusionTM unit, WATERPIK water flossers offer a clinically proven way to improve gum pockets and overall gum health.
