My Gums Bleeds and what that means!

 

So, you see a little blood while you brush and floss and you think its nothing because it doesn’t hurt.  Well, in reality, its your body trying to tell you something.  Its a warning sign that your gums are inflamed.  What is this “inflamed” business you ask?  Well, inflammation is your body’s natural defense system when we are sick or injured.  It can be a swollen ankle or foot from a sports injury but it can also be swelling around infections and disease.  So, what does inflamed gums have to do with our oral health?  Great question and a very important one.

Our gums surround our teeth and play a vital role to our ability to smile and eat.  The bone that lies around the teeth are effected by the gum tissue that lay over it.  If the gum tissue isn’t health, the bone underneath it mirrors that.  So, what happens to the bone when the gum tissue is unhealthy.  A WHOLE LOT!  If the gum tissue is so inflamed and is trapping harden bacteria (aka tartar), your bone slowly disintegrates- it literally goes away.  If there isn’t good bone around your teeth, you get LOOSE teeth.  This is the “gum disease” or periodontal disease and it can start from some bleeding gums!

So, how do I take care of my bone and gums.  Its quite simple and you have heard it from grade school.  Good brushing and FLOSSING.  With good home care and routine visits to my office, we can prevent gum disease from destroying your bone.  So, the early signs of gum disease is a little blood while you brush and that’s when we want to nip it in the bud and prevent further progression of the disease.

You can get great tips on this blog and also under “patient education” section of the website.

Thanks!  Dr. George Wang