Bleeding Gums: Have You Checked Your Vitamin C?

If you have bleeding gums, it indicates you are affected by gingivitis or early periodontal disease. While the condition results from improper dental hygiene and the lack of exams and cleanings from the dentist near you, other factors are also responsible for this infection.

A study out of the university of Washington school of dentistry suggests that patients with good oral hygiene who experience gingival bleeding May have vitamin C deficiency. This study suggests that taking daily vitamin C may help with bleeding gums.

Also, ongoing research on many patients by the CDC reveals that diminished levels of vitamin C in the bloodstream are also associated with the enhanced risk of gum bleeding from gentle probing. Researchers contend that increasing vitamin C intake might help resolve the issue.

If you are concerned with your bleeding gums, it helps if you understand it might be a sign of different issues and deficiencies. For example, using a toothbrush with hard bristles can cause bleeding gums, besides improper brushing techniques. It might also be a sign of health conditions that you must have evaluated to determine the root cause of the bleeding.

Familiar Causes of Bleeding Gums

You may experience bleeding gums if you are affected by gingivitis, an infection that inflames your gums and gradually advances to periodontitis if you leave the condition untreated by neglecting six-monthly dental visits to the dentist in 92064 exams and cleanings. Untreated gum disease makes you vulnerable to problems causing gum recession and lousy breath besides loosening your teeth or making them fall out. Therefore when you experience bleeding gums, you must visit your dentist for attention and improve your dental hygiene regimen to ensure the infection doesn’t progress.

Gingivitis or periodontal disease is not the only reason for bleeding gums. For example, you can experience the situation if you brush aggressively with a hard-bristled toothbrush instead of using a soft-bristled version. In addition, ill-fitting dentures, medications like blood thinners, nutritional deficiencies, blood disorders, and pregnancy gingivitis can also cause bleeding from the gums.

Dental Conditions Responsible for Gum Bleeding

Gum bleeding results from the lack of proper oral hygiene and avoiding dental visits for exams and cleanings. Gingivitis and periodontitis can increase sensitivity in your gums, making them prone to bleeding.

• Gingivitis: when your gums are inflamed, it results in bleeding. Gingivitis is a mouth infection that develops from improper oral hygiene and non-removal of plaque by brushing and flossing, enabling it to harden into tartar on your teeth and beneath the gum line. Fortunately, caring for your teeth appropriately by brushing twice and flossing once helps resolve gingivitis if you also include visits to your dentist frequently.
• Periodontitis: if you leave gingivitis untreated, it gradually progresses to periodontitis, a lifelong gum condition that destroys the tissue and bone supporting your teeth. If you don’t receive periodontal disease treatment in Poway, CA, with periodontitis, the situation helps you lose some of your teeth.
• Diabetes: the systemic disease diabetes weakens your immune system making you prone to infections like gum disease resulting in bleeding from the gums.
• Vitamin Deficiencies: vitamin C and K deficiencies are also responsible for causing your gums to bleed. Repairing and helping tissue is the job of vitamin C. The vitamin also helps heal wounds and strengthen teeth and bones. Vitamin C deficiency results in swollen and bleeding gums over time. If you experience excessive bleeding, you might be deficient in vitamin K. Vitamin K helps blood clotting while also being excellent for your bones. Insufficient vitamin K in your diet or if your body doesn’t absorb it results in bleeding issues.

If you think you have vitamin deficiencies but not gingivitis or periodontitis, you can enquire with your physician asking them to evaluate your vitamin levels. The evaluation can help you determine whether you must change your diet to include vitamins to help prevent bleeding from your gums.

Bleeding Gums Treatment

Maintaining excellent dental hygiene is the first step to preventing bleeding gums. You must also include twice-yearly visits to your dentist when they check your gums for dental issues and gingivitis. If you have indications of the condition, the dentist recommends an antibacterial mouthwash and excellent dental hygiene to ensure the disease doesn’t advance.

However, if the bleeding doesn’t subside despite excellent dental care and attention from your dentist, it helps to get your physician to evaluate your vitamin levels, especially vitamin C, which also can cause gum bleeding. You should avoid periodontal disease treatment by inhibiting its advance by maintaining excellent dental hygiene. Unfortunately, if you are affected by other conditions like vitamin deficiencies, you may need help from your medical professional and make changes to your diet to prevent bleeding gums.

Heavenly Smiles Dentist should be your first point of contact when you notice inflamed and bleeding gums. However, the dentist may surprise you with information that the bleeding results from vitamin deficiencies advising that you change your diet to include higher levels of vitamin C. Therefore, consult them if you have bleeding gums to evaluate whether you have gum disease or vitamin deficiencies responsible for the condition.