Do Your Gums Bleed When Brushing? Here's How To Deal With Early Gum Disease
If your gums bleed easily when you brush your teeth, you could have the beginnings of gum disease. This is a symptom you don't want to ignore, because gum disease can progress into a serious condition that requires expensive dental procedures to treat. Fortunately, early gum disease is usually reversed fairly easily. Here are the steps required.
See Your Dentist
You probably won't be able to reverse gum disease on your own. One thing that makes gum disease worse is the build up of tartar on your teeth that irritates your gums. The best way to get rid of the tartar is to have your teeth cleaned by a dental hygienist. The hygienist uses tools to actually scrape the tartar off your teeth and clean out any infections in your gums. Your dentist may have you make frequent appointments to clean and examine your teeth until your gum disease is under control.
Brush And Floss Frequently
Once the tartar is removed, you must keep it from coming back. The best way to do that is to brush after each meal if possible. This keeps plaque from building up on your teeth. Your dentist may recommend specific toothpaste and mouthwash products that work to kill bacteria and dissolve plaque. It may take your gums a while to heal, but if you are conscientious about your oral hygiene, you may be able to turn your gum disease around and prevent tooth loss and receding gums.
Eliminate The Cause
Gum disease can be caused by poor brushing and flossing habits, or it can be caused by some other underlying condition. For example, if you have diabetes and don't keep your blood sugar under control, it will be very hard to reverse your gum disease. Poor nutrition, stress, and smoking can also lead to gum disease. By making better lifestyle choices, you'll not only have improved health, your teeth and gums will be healthier too.
Prevent Progression
If you don't work to stop the progression of your gum disease, it may lead to periodontal disease, which is a more serious condition. With this, your gums recede, you risk losing your teeth, and even your bone becomes affected. To treat this condition, your dentist may have to do surgery to lift up your gums and clean out the infection underneath. You might also need bone grafts in your jaw or tissue grafts in your gums. These treatments become necessary to prevent the spread of infection and bacteria throughout your body.
When you establish a habit of brushing and flossing every day, you can eliminate many dental problems from developing. The health of your teeth and gums can affect your entire body, so gum disease is nothing to ignore. When you have gum tenderness or bleeding, be sure to let a dentist (such as one from Neu Family Dental Center) know.