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Click here to read about diseases affecting gum tissue
Question:
Shifting teeth causes bleeding gums?: I recently, within the last few months, noticed that when I brushed, my gums would often bleed.
I have also noticed that the gums are almost "eroding" away on a few teeth. It has been roughly 8-12 months since I saw a dentist. I've never really had any problems with my teeth before. I brush regularly. However, my mouth is somewhat crowded.
Is this the effect of my teeth moving around as I am getting older? I'm im 26 years of age. ...Visitor from Pensylvania
Answer:
Since you did not mention that you have been flossing your teeth, the most probable reason your gums are infected and bleeding is that you are leaving a lot of plaque and bacteria between the teeth when you brush.
Brushing your teeth, even with an expensive automatic toothbrush only removes about 70-75% of the plaque, bacteria and toxins that accumulate around your teeth every 24hrs. The other 25-30% of the above mentioned "stuff" stays lodged between the teeth and under the gums.
Here it continues to breakdown, irritate the gum tissue and cause inflammation and bleeding. It also causes foul odors and bad breath that cannot be masked by brushing,rinsing with a mouthwash or chewing dentine gum.
The sobering fact is that 73% of adults over the age of 30 have some stage of periodontal (gum) disease. The reason is that gum disease and bone loss occurs without any "PAIN" and minimal bleeding at first. As the periodontal toxins continue to silently eat the bone away from around the teeth, deep periodontal pockets develope which are even harder to clean out.
A patient first starts to notice there is a problem once the gums start to bleed by just brushing the teeth, or they have persistant bad breath.
In your case, I would start by flossing your teeth at least 1 time a day to reduce the bacteria between your teeth. If you do not have actual underlying bone loss and pocketing, you can expect your gums to bleed for about 5-7 days as you continue to floss once a day.
Then after about a week the bleeding will start to stop as your gums get pinker and healthier. The next step is to make an appointment to have your teeth professionally cleaned and examined.
During your cleaning appointment make sure to ask your dental hygienist or dentist to do a periodontal probing of your gum pockets to rule out any beginning periodontal bone loss.
ComfortableDental.com
Ron Briglia, DMD
Chester County Medical Building
600 East Marshall Street, Suite 201
West Chester Pennsylvania PA 19380
(610) 692-4440
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