Have you found that your gums regularly bleed, not only when you brush your teeth or floss but also even when you eat certain things? For many people, this is a situation that they deal with regularly, but don’t fully understand and don’t properly work toward managing. At the offices of Grant Dental, we can help. Our dental care services include a full range of gum-related health areas. Let’s go over some of the common causes of bleeding gums, plus how you can help prevent them.
Common Causes
There are a few different potential causes of bleeding gums:
- Plaque buildups around the gum line, also called gingivitis. Bacteria thrive around the gums, leading to an inflammatory response from the immune system.
- Periodontitis, or a jawbone disease that’s even more severe than gingivitis. This involves bacteria that may actually destroy portions of the jawbone.
- Nutritional deficiencies: In some cases, vitamins C or K deficiencies can contribute to bleeding gums. If this is happening to you and you can’t find another cause, ask about getting your blood level tested for vitamins.
- Pregnancy: Pregnant women may find bleeding gums more often due to hormonal changes. This usually goes away a couple months after giving birth, though.
Tips for Prevention
- Always use a soft-bristle brush for brushing your teeth.
- Use an ADA-approved mouth rinse product.
- Avoid tobacco.
- Increase your nutrient supply if you’re short in any area, such as vitamin C or vitamin K
- Don’t use aspirin, ibuprofen or other blood-thinning drugs unless your doctor recommends them to you.
- Floss between your teeth every day.
Visiting a Dentist
Teeth brushing is vital for oral care, but if you already have hardened buildups of plaque and tartar from years of poor care, brushing the teeth might not remove these buildups – which can impact the gums and cause bleeding. For this reason, visiting your family dentist every six months to have any deposits cleaned out professionally is important. To learn more about bleeding gums and how to stop them, or for any of our other dental care services, speak to the staff at the offices of Grant Dental today.
