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Bleeding Gums
Bleeding gums is both a common problem and a disturbing problem to many. People with this problem should pay attention to when their gums bleed and how severe the bleeding is. They should then contact our office and schedule an appointment. This is not a condition that simply goes away, but rather one that requires medical attention and cooperative patient care.
Some causes of bleeding gums include the following:
Brushing or flossing teeth.
Unless you have only recently begun flossing your teeth, your gums should never bleed when you brush your teeth. Persistent bleeding can be an indicator of gingivitis, which is early gum disease with no bone loss or Periodontitis, which is more advanced gum disease with bone loss.
To deal with this, call our office as soon as possible. We will administer a combination of teeth cleaning, root planing, and some homecare strategies you can do yourself. One thing we really focus on removing is tartar, which is a hard deposit of calcium salts and bacteria. We also remove the soft film of food particles and bacteria that tend to build up on teeth. This should cause the gums to stop bleeding.
Bleeding gums may be noticed when you eat.
This is not normal, and it indicates that you have swollen gums that are suffering either from gingivitis or Periodontitis. Call our office and schedule an appointment immediately. After our standard root planing and tooth cleaning surfaces, we will advise you to regularly brush and floss your teeth to maintain clean tooth surfaces. The bleeding should go away at this point. If it does not, reschedule a second appointment.
Sometimes gums bleed from one spot above a single tooth.
This is due to a tooth infection. It will form pus around the tip of the root, and it then makes a hole in the bone. The infection can then find its way to the surface of your gums and form a gumboil. As this infection festers below the surface of the tissue, it will eventually being to bleed. Do not put off seeing the dentist if you see this. Waiting too long will cause you to experience a severe toothache, followed by a spread of the infection that can actually become life-threatening if it gets into the bloodstream and hits your internal organs.
You need to schedule an appointment with our office and come in to see a dentist. In most cases an infected tooth can be saved with a root canal procedure. In cosmetic dentistry, we normally combine a root canal treatment with a dental crown.
Bleeding gums sometimes are noticed after tooth removal.
It is not unusual for a little blood to seep for a day or too, but it is not normal for the area to consistently bleed. You need to apply pressure to the area with the gauze pad your dentist has given you. We also recommend biting down on tea bags for 5 to 10 minutes. Moisten the tea bag with warm water first to make it softer and more amenable to your mouth. Tea contains tannic acid, which is a coagulant that will help stop your gums from bleeding. If the problem continues, however, you need to come into our office and see a dentist.
Cosmetic Dentistry is a specialized field that requires extensive knowledge and experience to be done correctly. The Medical Center Cosmetic Dental Group in Houston, Texas brings all of that and more to the direct benefit of each and every patient we treat. Although we are located in the world famous Houston Medical Center at Scurlock Towers, we routinely see dental patients who travel from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Beaumont, Katy, Galveston, Woodlands and Midland Texas to see Dr. Dale Brant, Dr. Charles Campbell or Dr. Elizabeth O’Sullivan-Winslow for their cosmetic denistry services. We also service clients internationally, including Canada, Middle East, Asia, Europe, Australia, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
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