What to Do in the Case of Bleeding Gums
Bleeding gums can be more than painful; sometimes they signify that something bigger is going on in your oral or systemic health. At McKenzie River Dental, part of our philosophy is to capitalize on preventive care– it’s much easier to fix a problem if it’s still at its beginning stages! With this in mind, we’ve compiled a brief post on bleeding gums in the hope that we can work together with you to catch little problems– before they become big ones.
What causes bleeding gums?
Sometimes gums bleed because you’ve fallen behind on your oral hygiene. Ever skipped flossing for a while and noticed a little bleeding when you’ve started back up? That gum bleeding isn’t a sign to stop flossing again– it means your gums need flossing, everyday!
Besides poor hygiene, bleeding gums can signify other problems with your tooth cleaning technique. The most common causes are:
- brushing too hard or against the gumline
- using bristles that are too stiff
Other causes of bleeding gums could stem from problems in other areas of your body
- Poor diet or lifestyle
- Underlying medical condition
- Hormonal changes (one common cause of this is pregnancy)
More serious, but far less common, causes of bleeding gums could be a gum disease like periodontitis or gingivitis, or other disease in the body.
Treatment for bleeding gums
The long and short of this is, if you have bleeding gums, see Dr. Schilt at McKenzie River Dental. One of our goals is to work with patients so that problems like bleeding gums are addressed promptly and never return! Some of the ways we work with you to treat bleeding gums are:
- Learning proper hygiene techniques, including regular brushing and flossing and dental check-ups every six months.
- Addressing problems with diet and lifestyle such as quitting smoking (which can increase the rate of oral health problems by six times that of nonsmokers)
- Sometimes if you haven’t been seen by a dentist in a while, plaque that has accumulated beneath your gums can cause bleeding– this needs to be cleaned out by a dentist or hygienist.
In the rare case that gum bleeding is caused by an underlying health condition, your dentist, Dr. Schilt, works in partnership with other healthcare professionals to make sure this condition is examined, ensuring your best overall health.
To learn more about bleeding gums and how you can prevent gum disease, schedule your next appointment with Dentist in Springfield, Dr. John Schilt today. We look forward to seeing you!
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