Bleeding is never a welcome sight, and this holds for bleeding inside your mouth. Whether you’re routinely spitting out blood when you brush your teeth or your gums are bleeding beyond your time at the sink, in both cases, it’s a symptom that you shouldn’t ignore.
To get to the bottom of your bleeding gums, our team here at Aura Dentistry, including Dr. Chang Yi and Dr. Negar Tehrani, offers some valuable information on a few of the more common culprits behind bleeding gums. Let’s take a look.
The biggest driver of bleeding gums is gum disease, which affects nearly half of adults (46%) aged 30 and older.
In its early stages — gingivitis — there’s inflammation around your gum line as bacteria eat away at the seal that your gums form around your teeth. This inflammation can make your gums highly sensitive and vulnerable to bleeding, especially when brushing and flossing.
So, if you notice that your gums tend only to bleed while you’re brushing and/or flossing your teeth, you likely have gingivitis. The good news is that a trip to our office for a dental exam and cleaning should clear up this early form of periodontitis and your gum bleeding.
We want to point out that if you ignore this early sign of gum disease, not only will your gum bleeding continue, but the gum disease will progress unchecked, placing you at risk for far more significant issues, such as losing your teeth.
If you’re not getting enough vitamin C or vitamin K, this could lead to bleeding gums. A quick blood analysis will reveal whether you have one of these vitamin deficiencies.
If you’re low on these nutrients, it’s an easy fix — you simply get more of these vitamins into your body through diet or supplements.
Pregnant women can experience gum bleeding due to the significant hormonal changes in the body that can make their gums more sensitive.
Some other issues or conditions can lead to bleeding gums, such as taking certain medications, namely blood thinners. Blood thinners can increase your risk of bleeding anywhere, including around the gums.
Some diseases are also associated with gum bleeding, including:
Bleeding in your mouth might also signal an oral or oropharyngeal cancer, which is diagnosed in nearly 55,000 people in the United States each year. Other signs of these uncommon cancers include patches or sores in and around your mouth.
The bottom line is that ongoing bleeding in your gums is a symptom that you shouldn’t ignore. When you have bleeding gums, an excellent place to start is to see us for a complete oral health evaluation.
To get the ball rolling, please contact our office in McLean, Virginia, at 703-429-0770 to schedule an appointment. Or, you can request an appointment using our online form.
