Plaque, Bad Habits & Gum Disease
You notice a little pink when you rinse and spit after cleaning your teeth. Or there's a little blood on your floss when you remove it. No big deal right? Maybe not if it's a very occasional thing, but if your gums bleed regularly, even if it's just a little, it very well be a sign of a bigger problem you need to address as soon as possible. Here are some possible reasons for those red spots on your toothbrush and what you can do about it.
Pesky Plaque Problems
One possible cause of bleeding gums is a plaque buildup around the gumline. Plaque is nasty stuff at the best of times, but if it is allowed to build up it hardens into tartar, which in turn irritates the gums, causes them to bleed and can eventually lead to full blown gum disease.
The fix here is to up your oral care game. The best thing to do is start of with a good professional cleaning and then keep things nice and squeaky clean from there. Brush AT LEAST twice a day and, no matter what you might have heard recently, to keep plaque buildup at bay you do still need to floss once a day as well.
Bad Brushes
It may be that it is the very tools you are using to try and keep your teeth clean are actually the cause of your bleeding gums problem. Often people think that the harder the bristle on their toothbrush the better the clean, but very hard bristled toothbrushes can be very tough on the gums. To avoid cutting your gums with a brush that is just too stiff - because that is what can happen all too easily - opt for a softer option. It will still get your teeth clean, it will just do so a little more gently, and your gums will thank you for that.
Pill Problems
Occasionally a certain prescription medication can have, as one of its side effects, the ability to cause your gums to bleed. This can be particularly true of some antihistamines, blood pressure medications and certain stronger antibiotics. If you suspect that your pills may be the problem, discuss the issue with your doctor, they may be able to change your prescription or offer some advice on how to deal with the problem.
Your Gums and Gingivitis
Gum disease - medically known as gingivitis - is probably one of the biggest causes of regular gum bleeds and only your dentist can help you solve the problem for good. How your gum disease is treated with depend upon the severity. In some cases improved oral hygiene can be the simple answer, but if the gingivitis is more advanced
Emergency Dentist Sydney Says:
Rather than ignoring those 'little gum bleeds' make an appointment to do something about it today, before the problem gets worse or becomes irreparable.