Why Are My Gums Bleeding
Do you feel like your gums bleed more easily than they should? If you’re prone to bleeding gums, there might be a simple reason for the issue, but it could also be a sign of gum disease. If you brush your teeth too aggressively or use a toothbrush with bristles that are too hard, or if you floss incorrectly, you could be injuring your gums and causing the bleeding. Dentures or other dental restorations that don’t fit properly or are otherwise faulty can also injure the gum tissue If you’re pregnant, your gums may be inflamed and therefore more prone to bleeding due to hormone fluctuations, and people who take certain medications, like blood thinners, are also more likely to have bleeding gums. The most common cause of bleeding gums, however, is gum disease.
Bleeding gums are an indication of inflammation in the gum tissues. In its early stages, gum disease is called gingivitis. When it is allowed to progress and infects the bone and underlying system that supports the teeth, it is called periodontitis. Gingivitis is common and can be reversed when detected early, but because the early symptoms are often mild, you may not suspect that you have gum disease; regular dental checkups are a key part of the prevention and treatment of gum disease. Gingivitis develops when excessive plaque and dental calculus build up at the gum line, leading to inflammation of the gums. If you have gingivitis, you may find that you have bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth, and your gums may be red and swollen and they may bleed when you brush or floss. At a professional dental cleaning, a dentist or dental hygienist can clean away dental calculus, which is hardened tartar that can only be removed with professional tools, calming the inflamed dental tissue and allowing it to return to health. Proper oral hygiene can maintain the health of the gums, and your dentist or dental hygienist can teach you how to brush and floss properly to prevent trauma to the gums and to prevent gingivitis from recurring. Without proper oral hygiene and professional attention, gingivitis left unaddressed can develop into periodontitis, which gradually leads to the degradation of the bones in the jaw and eventually the loss of the natural teeth.
Swollen or bleeding gums can also be an early sign of diabetes, which weakens the immune system and encourages systemic infections like gum disease. Unfortunately, the high blood sugar that accompanies diabetes encourages continued inflammation of the gum tissue and of the body’s immune system, and each infection worsens the other. Proper treatment of diabetes is an essential part of the management of gum disease. Bleeding gums can also be indicative of other systemic illnesses, including some types of cancer, or they can arise due to malnutrition and deficiency of certain vitamins. More often than not, if you’re an adult with chronically bleeding gums, you probably have gingivitis. If your gums bleed for more than a week or bleeding in the gums consistently appears and then diminishes and reappears over a period of time, see your dentist.