What to do when you have bleeding gums to ensure your oral health
Half of Americans over the age of 30 have gum disease, a condition that can cause bleeding gums, loss of teeth, and other much more serious problems. Bleeding gums coupled with chronic uncontrolled gum disease could also be a symptom of uncontrolled diabetes, blood disorder, vitamin K deficiency, hormonal changes during pregnancy, and even HIV. However, bleeding gums is usually only a symptom of gum disease, so you should schedule a visit to your dentist to get on a regular oral health regimen, and reduce your chance of developing a a much larger problem. Here is some advice to help.
Do
- see your dentist regularly for exams
- see your dentist regularly for cleanings or deep cleanings
- make oral hygiene a priority in your daily routine
- consider additional oral hygiene aids
- see you physician if you have chronic uncontrolled gum disease
Don't
- skip flossing your teeth
- skip seeing your dentist and getting regular exams, x-rays, cleanings or deep cleanings
- use cost of treatment or lack of dental insurance as a reason to neglect regular dental care
- forget that bleeding gums can be a sign of a medical condition beyond the health of your teeth and gums
Do see your dentist regularly for exams
Only your periodontist, dentist or dental hygienist has the proper training to diagnose gum disease. It cannot be diagnosed with only a visual exam. The dental professional has to examine the gum with a tool called a periodontal probe, both above and below the gumline to determine the extent of gum disease present. Dental x-rays are also a powerful method of detecting the cause of bleeding gums and gum disease.
Do see your dentist regularly for cleanings or deep cleanings
Even patients with healthy gums need twice yearly cleanings to remove any areas of plaque (soft bacteria deposits), calculus (hard mineral deposits) and stain from the teeth and roots of the teeth. If these deposits are not removed, they will build and irritate the gums causing once healthy gums to become inflamed and diseased.
Patients with gum disease needs more frequent cleanings, or deep cleanings, commonly called root planing and scaling. Root planing and scaling removes bacterial and mineral deposits that collect deep below the gumline. Only a dental professional with special training can properly removing these deposits below the gumline. This is not an area that can be effectively cleaned by a patient with home care only. If you have gum disease, more frequent visits to the dentist are needed so the disease process of the gums can be managed or healed. Without proper treatment, you are at risk of tooth loss.
Do make oral hygiene a priority in your daily routine
Brushing, flossing, and rinsing with antibacterial rinses should be a daily routine. Use a soft toothbrush, twice a day, for two minute brushings, as the first step to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Once daily flossing is the goal, preferably right before bedtime and after eating your last meal or snack. Rinsing with antibacterial rinses twice a day will kill the bacteria you may miss with brushing and flossing. Think of it as a little extra insurance to ensure you have done the best job you can do.
Do consider additional oral hygiene aids
If you have arthritis in your hands, poor vision, dental implants or dental bridgework, or any difficulty reaching all areas of your gum line with a manual soft toothbrush and a piece of floss, you may need to add other hygiene tools to your daily oral hygiene regime. Sonic electric toothbrushes, floss holders, floss threaders, interproximal brushes and rubber tips may be some additional oral hygiene aids you can use to reach these areas. Ask your dental professional to help you master using any of these oral hygiene tools.
Do see you physician if you have chronic uncontrolled gum disease
Bleeding gums may have an underlying medical cause. They can be a sign of systemic conditions or illness such as undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes, leukemia or other blood disorders, vitamin K deficiency, hormonal changes during pregnancy, ingestion of blood thinners or epilepsy medications, HIV, side effects of chemotherapy, or other medical concerns. If your dentist cannot control your bleeding gums, you are practicing proper oral hygiene home care, and getting regular dental exams, x-rays, cleanings and deep cleanings, it is time to see your physician for further evaluation.
Do not skip flossing your teeth
Dental floss is one of the best ways to clean under your gumline and in between your teeth. A toothbrush cannot adequately reach those areas. Think of it this way, if all you do is only brush your teeth, you are only cleaning three fifths of your tooth surface, and hardly at all under your gums.
Do not skip seeing your dentist and getting regular exams, x-rays, cleanings or deep cleanings
Just because your teeth and gums look clean to you does not mean they are healthy. Bleeding gums, and gum disease are a measure of the condition of your gums below the visible gumline. There are many signs of gum disease that can only be seen with x-rays and examination by a dental professional using a periodontal probe.
Do not use cost of treatment or lack of dental insurance as a reason to neglect regular dental care
Dental care can be expensive, but there are options. Dental hygiene schools and dental schools are places to obtain very high quality dental care at greatly reduced cost. The treatment is provided by dental hygiene or dental students, but they are supervised closely by licensed dental professionals. Many local and state dental societies also offer low cost dental clinics for patients that live in the area with care being provided by volunteer licensed dentists. Without dental care you will be at risk of losing your teeth. Finally, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) now mandates dental coverage for all pediatric patients.
Do not forget that bleeding gums can be a sign of a medical condition beyond the health of your teeth and gums
It is easy to think of your teeth and gums as something separate from the rest of your body. Your bleeding gums can be a sign of some serious, but treatable, medical conditions. Do not delay seeing your dentist or physician as some of the conditions bleeding gums warn of can be life threatening without timely and proper treatment.
Summary
Bleeding gums are extremely common and require treatment to ensure you retain your teeth for a lifetime. With proper home care and professional intervention it is a very treatable condition. Sometimes, chronic bleeding gums that do not respond to dental treatment can be a sign of a more serious condition, in which case, you should seek help from a physician.
