Bleeding Gums

Healthy gums do not bleed spontaneously or when you brush your teeth; so bleeding gums are abnormal and means that something is wrong.

Causes
* Bacteria / dental plaque buildup in the space between gum and teeth.
* Gum disease. ( Inflamed / infected gums bleed easily because there is more blood in the vicinity bringing defense cells to fight off the bacteria)
* Injury due to a toothbrush with hard/splayed bristles or careless toothbrushing/flossing.
* Vitamin C deficiency.
* Dengue hemorrhagic fever.
* Bleeding disorder.

What you can do
* Go to the Emergency Department of the nearest hospital if you have a fever, flu-like symptoms, abdominal pain, nose-bleeds, vomiting of blood, blood in stool or bleeding elsewhere.
* See your dentist if your gums are red, itchy, swollen, and spongy(i.e. symptoms of gum disease).
* See your doctor if your spontaneous bruising on other parts of the body.

What your doctor can do for you
* Determine any medical cause of bleeding gums and treat accordingly.
* Admit you into hospital for observation/ further investigation, if necessary.

What your dentist can do for you
* Deep cleaning of pockets of bacteria/ dental plaque.
* Scaling / polishing to remove tartar ( hardened dental plaque) at gum margins.
* Treat gum disease.
* Teach you how to brush / floss your teeth properly
* refer you to a medical doctor if bleeding is not due to a dental cause.

Prevention tips
* Use tooth brush with soft bristles, change to a new toothbrush as soon as the bristles splay.
* Brush / floss your teeth properly, taking care to clean the gum margins as well.
* Go to dental check-ups twice a year.
* Take adequate vitamin C in your diet. Foods with vitamin C includes papaya, guava, lemons, etc..