When You Should Worry About Your Gums Bleeding: Bleeding gums are one of the most common dental care issues worldwide. It can often be a sign of gum disease, but not always. Regardless, it is never good to ignore bleeding gums, and it is always best to understand their cause so that you can take the best course of action.
Gum Disease
First and foremost, bleeding gums could point to many different kinds of gum disease, such as gingivitis, which manifests as redness around the base of your teeth. Through improper (or infrequent) brushing, plaque and bacteria can accumulate and weaken the tissues of the gums. This may then result to periodontitis, which loosens your teeth and causes even more damage. You can treat this early, but you must ensure it never gets to that point.
You must always take these conditions seriously, and both can be easily prevented by brushing correctly and at regular intervals. The alternative could be very painful and costly, so make sure you never miss a day of brushing. Even as you get older, even if you have fewer teeth than you once did, you have to keep them clean. If you have dentures, remember to clean them regularly so you can prevent bacteria from spreading to your other teeth.
Improperly Fitted Dentures
On a similar note, improperly fitted dentures (especially if they are too tight) can lead to small bleeds. If you have dentures and find that blood is emerging around where they are fitted, get in touch with a dentist or orthodontist to see if the dentures are causing the problem. This can be fixed by taking additional impressions of the mouth.
Flossing and Brushing
As mentioned in another of our articles, bleeding gums can sometimes be the result of starting to floss. This in itself may not be a sign that you have gum disease, but instead might just be because your gums aren’t used to the flossing. This should naturally go away after a week or so, but if it persists far beyond that, it may point to a deeper issue.
It could be that you are flossing too vigorously, but it could also be that the early stages of gum disease are making themselves known. Forceful brushing is another potential cause of bleeding gums which could also be dealt with by a small and simple change. Again, it is important to exercise caution here; the bleeding could still be from disease and not fixed using a more gentle brush.