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The Truth Behind Bleeding Gums

“Everybody’s gums bleed right? I mean, I brush teeth every day and they still bleed! I don’t floss, but who does?? It’s not that bad, I’ll just go get them cleaned by the dentist, no harm done…”

Gum disease affects your body, your cardiac system, your digestive system, your immune system, your unborn child’s development, your brain function, your joints and directly affects whoever has to kiss your mouth. If you are happy to say that these are not things that are important to you, then please, read no further and get back to Netflix.

Reality is, bleeding gums are warning you that something is not right with your gums. They are not ok, they want your attention and bleeding is how they do it.  Many people voluntarily ignore this warning sign, either due to lack of knowledge or laziness and the ever powerful denial. I would like to give you the knowledge, so that you can make up your own mind after reading this, as to whether or not you are happy to accept bleeding gums in your mouth.

Gingivitis = inflammation of the gums

Periodontitis = a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue and destroys the bone that supports your teeth

Inflammation = the body’s attempt at self-protection, the aim being to remove harmful stimuli, including damaged cells, irritants, or pathogens and begin the healing process.

When we eat, plaque forms on our teeth. This allows certain bacteria to produce acid, leading to tooth decay and evokes an inflammatory response from the gums. This inflammatory response renders the gums fragile and allows for oral bacteria to enter the bloodstream, travelling throughout your body, affecting major organs.

The common thread between gum disease and chronic health conditions is inflammation, they body’s natural response to an infection or injury. The build-up of inflammatory substances in the blood seems to worsen heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions. Eliminating the gum disease, reduces that harmful response throughout the body.

Health Diseases linked to Gum Disease

The American Journal of Preventative Medicine published a study that looked at the health/dental records of nearly 340,000 people with periodontitis and one of the above conditions. They discovered that if people had at least one dental treatment for their gum disease, they had lower medical costs and less hospitalisations over a four year period.

What do you need to do?

Get your dentist to show you how to BRUSH YOUR TEETH and floss effectively again. It sounds silly, but everyone needs a little refresher every now and then. I recommend for all of my patients to use an electric toothbrush.

For the love of god, FLOSS. Get all of the plaque from between your teeth out. The bacteria in this plaque are sulphur-producing bacteria, they break down proteins to produce “odorous volatile sulphur compounds”. I’m not sure if you’ve ever cracked a rotten egg, but that is another example of “odorous volatile sulphur compounds”.

Use a scientifically proven, antibacterial MOUTHWASH. There are many, many products to choose from in this day and age and often the ones with the biggest marketing budgets are the ones that end up in your bathroom cabinet. Again, if you are going to go to the efforts, you want a product that actually works, ask me or your dentist for their recommendation.

Do these last 3 steps every morning and every night, for yourself, your health, your unborn baby and let’s not forget the person kissing you.

If your gums are bleeding or it has been over 6 months since your last hygiene visit, contact Sydney Boutique Dentistry.

The BEST dentist in Waterloo, Sydney on (02) 9699 5199 or book online.