Bleeding gums to one of the leading signs of gum disease but if its caught early and treated in the right way it is largely preventable.
Gums start to bleed when there is a sustained accumulation of plaque (bacteria) around them. This irritates the gum and causes an inflammatory response by the body.The body will realise that there is an invasion of the body by bacteria and will launch an attack on them. One of the responses is to rush a lot of blood to the area so that bodies immune response can work quicker.
Once your gums are inflamed even gently brushing around them will make them to bleed, however its not the brushing that is the cause – the cause is the bacteria around the gum! Good brushing will not help reduce bleeding around the gums in the long term.
What else can I do to stop gum disease?
Apart from brushing your teeth with a toothbrush twice daily, we recommend that you use interproximal brushes (or floss) daily and see your hygienist at regular intervals.
We gum disease gets to an advanced stage, we recommend you to see our specialist gum dentist – Dr Mishal Sachdev who is expertly trained to help you to keep your teeth for as long as possible.
Smoking is also one of the biggest causative factors in gum disease so we would highly recommend that you quit smoking or cut down consumption.
Is gum disease genetic?
Gum disease can be passed down from genes from your parents however, it is very much treatable and having these genes is no excuse for not having treatment. Some people are more susceptible to gum disease but its these people that we need to try the hardest with and most the treatment is largely depend on good homecare. Ask your dentist to tell you what you can do at home to prevent and treat gum disease.
