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It’s always shocking to see your own blood. Whether you’ve scraped a knee or knicked your finger chopping vegetables, seeing red lets you know it’s time to hop into action and tend to your physical needs.
Bleeding gums are no different. While they aren’t a dental emergency on their own, they definitely signal that you need to take certain steps to protect your oral health. Specifically, bleeding gums usually indicate gum disease. If you don’t intervene, you could end up with some serious ramifications.
Here at Family Dental Care, Dr. Sujay Trivedi and Dr. Michael Westcott offer emergency dental care at our office in West Palm Beach, Florida. In most cases, seeing blood on your floss or toothbrush doesn’t mean you need to schedule an emergency appointment. It does, however, mean you should schedule a teeth cleaning — and soon.
Some health conditions can cause your gums to bleed, including hormonal changes, diabetes, and even scurvy. If you can rule out a separate, non-oral health problem, though, gum bleeding is almost always caused by infection and inflammation related to periodontal (gum) disease.
That’s partially true because gum disease is so common. The National Institutes of Health estimate that more than 40% of American adults over the age of 30 have this condition.
In its early phases, gum disease isn’t a huge deal. If you let it go unchecked, though, it progresses from gingivitis (early gum disease) to periodontitis.
Periodontitis often comes with tooth sensitivity and gum recession. As the disease advances, your gums pull away from your teeth. This can eventually lead to tooth loss.
In other words, gum bleeding isn’t a dental emergency in and of itself. It is, however, a warning sign that you could be heading toward one.
If you’ve noticed blood on your floss, toothbrush, or on your gums when you look in the mirror, it’s time to take action.
Fortunately, you can usually reverse gingivitis with solid at-home oral care. That means brushing twice a day and flossing daily. When you clean your mouth in this way, you remove the plaque and bacteria that irritate, infect, and inflame your gums.
By consistently removing plaque from your teeth, you give your gums a chance to heal.
As you brush, make sure you’re being gentle. Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush, angle it at 45 degrees, and gently brush along your gum line. A solid brushing and flossing routine may be enough to reverse your gum disease and stop the bleeding, possibly in as little as two weeks.
If you’re still seeing blood after two weeks of consistent oral hygiene, schedule a visit with our team. With a professional cleaning, we can remove tartar, or the hardened plaque that your toothbrush and floss can’t clear away. Tartar can irritate, infect, and inflame your gums even more, preventing them from healing.
We can also evaluate your gums and see if you need more involved treatment. If your gum disease has progressed, you might benefit from a more intensive scaling and root planing treatment.
The good news? Bleeding gums aren’t a dental emergency, and you can usually reverse the problem yourself. The other good news? If consistent at-home oral health habits don’t stop the bleeding, we can help. Call our Family Dental Care team at 561-556-1698 today, or book an appointment online at your convenience.
