How to Stop Your Bleeding Gums?
Your precious gums are the mouth’s precious gems and are just as important as your teeth but how can you stop your bleeding gums?
When you’re brushing your teeth, does your toothbrush sometimes turn pink? Do your bleeding gums make you wonder if you’ve got vampire genes? Bleeding gums are common but whether you’ve got a daily bloodbath in your mouth or just a few traces of blood after brushing, you should never ignore this symptom: it can be an early sign of gingivitis or a sign of more serious dental or health problems.
It is estimated that 75% of people suffer from bleeding gums but you can banish bleeding gums can quickly if you act fast and with care.
Healthy and Unhealthy gums
Your precious gums are just as important as your teeth. In fact, they hold your teeth in place and protect the jaw bones. Healthy gums are bright pink; dark red gums are a red flag. Gums will only bleed when there is an infection or an underlying condition that needs your attention.
Bleeding, unhealthy gums can be more sensitive to food and drinks – especially hot or cold temperatures. This can signal the start of damage to the nerves in the gum. Gums usually bleed while brushing or flossing because the sensitive gum surface is disturbed, but in severe cases gums can bleed most of the time.
Why do my gums bleed?
Most people notice bleeding gums when brushing their teeth. We often think that good brushing means vigorously rubbing the brush over teeth and gums, digging into all the nooks and crannies. Brushing thoroughly is important but it should be gentle. Instead of scraping away at the teeth, use a soft brush with a small head and carefully move in small circles across the gum line and between teeth.
Medium to stiff-bristled toothbrushes can cause enamel abrasion, gum damage and occasional bleeding if pressure is too firm. Healthy gums should never bleed during proper brushing or flossing, and generalised bleeding during brushing is likely to be due to an infection.
What is the cause of bleeding gums?
Poor Oral Hygiene
If you don’t brush and floss your teeth regularly, a sticky white plaque, formed from leftover food, mucus and bacteria will coat the teeth. Plaque must be removed regularly or it will cause an immune response and lead to swollen and bleeding gums.
Without regular brushing and dental appointments, plaque will harden into tartar which often leads to bleeding gums and can easily develop into gingivitis.
Gingivitis
Is an inflammation of the gums due to irritation, plaque build-up or poor oral hygiene. Gingivitis usually causes bleeding during brushing or flossing, when a small area of infection is stimulated.
This infection is due to bacteria under the gums and to irregular or poor oral hygiene. Bleeding is actually part of the healing process and helps cleanse the infected area. However, gingivitis can become periodontal disease with irreversible bone loss if it is not treated quickly.
Periodontal Disease
When gingivitis is not treated, plaque continues build up under the gum line and can make a deep pocket in the gum, slowly destroying the tissues connecting the gum to the tooth, and the tooth to the jaw bone.
Once bacteria forms in these deep pockets, it is usually impossible to reach with regular oral hygiene. At this point, the gums detach from the surface of the tooth, and bone structure may also be permanently lost.
Eventually, teeth can become loose and actually fall out. Periodontal disease can cause bleeding during chewing, when touching the area or sometimes for no reason.
Iron Deficiency (Anaemia)
An iron deficiency can lead to bleeding gums even with regular flossing. Iron helps blood platelets to form but a lack of iron and platelets lead to more frequent bleeding that’s harder to stop, even with good oral hygiene. We can find iron in red meats and green, leafy vegetables.
Hormones
Pregnancy, menopause and menstruation may lead to more gum irritation and bleeding in a small percentage of women. Even women with good oral health may find that hormone changes affect their gums.
Misaligned Teeth
When teeth are crowded, crooked or have gaps, they are more difficult to clean around. Misaligned teeth, bleeding gums and gum disease unfortunately tend to go together.
Old fillings and crowns
Old fillings can leak or have a small gap between the tooth and filling where bacteria can accumulate. This can chronically irritate the nearby gum tissue, causing bleeding. Sometimes bacteria will also form around healthy tooth restorations like crowns, also because of tiny gaps between the crown and the tooth.
Blood Thinners
Blood thinners are necessary for many people to prevent blood clots. Some are meant to be taken long-term, while others are prescribed for a few weeks. Blood thinners can make bleeding last longer.
Health risks
Most of us believe that bleeding gums are a bit gory but not really anything to worry about. Bleeding gums, however, can lead to much more serious health issues, which may not even be related to your mouth.
Harmful bacteria in the mouth may find its way into the bloodstream and this can affect the rest of the body. If the bacteria bond to platelets in the blood, clots can occur, leading to heart attacks or strokes as the bloodstream effectively becomes blocked.
Some other health risks from bacteria moving into the bloodstream include digestive disorders or respiratory problems and an increased risk of pancreatic cancer and diabetes. Dealing with bleeding gums swiftly can reduce the risk to the rest of your body.
Bleeding gums may not always be due to dental problems. You might have a condition which limits your body’s ability to clot blood adequately, and you may only discover it because of bleeding from your gums. If you have haemophilia it is likely that you are already aware of this, but the inability to clot blood properly can also suggest a vitamin K deficiency.
How can I prevent bleeding gums?
The best way to prevent bleeding gums is to become your own oral hygiene expert. You can do this quite easily by:
Flossing daily
Flossing daily after each meal for two weeks will usually reverse most cases of bleeding gums caused by gingivitis. Use extra care around the crowns and fillings on any of your teeth because plaque can build up here and cause bleeding.
Brushing twice a day for two minutes with Oral Botanica Classic
Use 2 drops of Oral Botanica Classic liquid toothpaste on your toothbrush and brush your teeth as usual. This unique product will help to soothe and prevent bleeding gums. Oral Botanica Classic is formulated from organic, food-grade plant extracts and is a safe and effective solution to gum problems, mouth ulcers and bad breath.
Using an organic, natural mouthwash
You can also use Oral Botanica Classic as a mouthwash to kill the bacteria that leads to bleeding gums. It is free from harmful synthetic chemicals which can make bleeding or swollen gums worse. To use Oral Botanica Classic as a mouthwash, add 2–3 drops to half a glass of water, swish around the mouth and gargle. You can also apply directly to swollen gums to speed up the healing process significantly.
Iron supplement
Taking an iron supplement will help to stop bleeding gums if you are anaemic
Oral Botanica Classic– A Natural Solution to Stop Bleeding Gums
Oral Botanica Classic, a unique and powerful liquid toothpaste. Its remarkable formula, blended from six food-grade botanical oils – almond, peppermint, spearmint, myrrh, clove and tea tree, works safely and effectively to eliminate bacteria, heal gum disease and protect our delicate gums and teeth. It will show you how to stop bleeding gums.
If you use Oral Botanica Classic twice a day instead of toothpaste, your bleeding horror-movie gums will be gone forever, leaving your mouth and gums literally in the pink of health.
