Dr. Varun Sahni

Even if you clean and floss your teeth regularly, you may have noticed a drop of blood or two dripping out from your gums. Maybe you feel that it is no big deal, but you may not be aware of the fact that bleeding gums can never be a normal symptom. Director of the Perio Arts Institute, Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha has raised an important question. Have you ever seen your scalp bleeding while brushing? If you feel that is not normal, then while brushing or flossing, if your gums bleed, you are most likely suffering from a periodontal disease which is commonly known as a gum disease.

Severe outcome of gum bleeding-

Gum disease is a simple, contagious bacterial infection that can cause havoc on your oral health. For instance, if it is left untreated, it can lead to destruction of gums, erosion of jaw bones and may even cause tooth loss. Not just the oral health, bleeding gums infect the whole body. Firstly, these can cause plague that creates irritation along the gum tissue and the longer this inflammation is left untreated, the faster it spreads causing a host of illnesses ranging from allergies to cancer.

Reasons behind bleeding of gums-

This disease is very common as declared by the American Academy of Periodontology in a report that says up to 80 percent of adult population is suffering from gum disease and very surprisingly, just 10 percent of this populace is aware of it. The good news here is that bleeding gums are caused due to various reasons that can be easily treated, and the condition can be improved to put a stop to bleeding of gums.

1. Inadequate oral hygiene- Though you may think that you brush your teeth twice a day and so there could be no germ build-up, it is not true. Actually, it takes only 24 to 36 hours for a healthy gum to become infected with disease. Therefore, take care of your teeth in the best possible way and floss your mouth after every meal.

2. Your diet is wreaking havoc - Processed food is not just bad for your tummy, your teeth are also going to be adversely affected with those donuts, chocolates, ice-creams and all the tempting junk food. It is always recommended to have a healthy diet comprising of fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in calcium and vitamin C.

3. Other factors like smoking, stress and anxiety can also trigger gum bleeding, and you should try to reduce them and consult a specialist if your gum health is out of control.

Diabetes is a degenerative disease, which affects your metabolism. As a result of metabolic irregularities, every part of the body is affected. The following are early indications of untreated diabetes:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Increased hunger

In addition to the ones above, the following are associated symptoms:

• Blurred vision
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Slow healing of cuts
• Itchy skin

How can diabetes affect your mouth?

• Diabetes increases the risk of infections and delayed regeneration of damaged/dead cells. As a result, fungal infections like thrush may develop in your mouth.
• Because of poor healing of wounds as a result of diabetes, extensive gum damage may occur.
• Periodontitis is a severe effect of diabetes in which your gums begin to move away from your teeth, leading to a formation of pockets between your gums and teeth, which fill up with pus and germs. The damage can be stopped only with gum surgery and removal of affected teeth.

Prevention

The single most effective way to prevent damage to your teeth is to actively control blood sugar content by regularly taking medicines and following a healthy diet recommended by your doctor. Common methods of dental protection go a long way to help prevent oral problems because of diabetes. These include:

• Brush thoroughly and carefully after every meal (wait 30 minutes for food acids to neutralize, and then brush as this helps in effective cleaning)
• Use non-alcoholic mouthwash to treat dry mouth and disinfect the oral cavity
• Floss at least once everyday
• Use a soft bristled toothbrush
• Remove your dentures and clean them regularly. Do not sleep putting them on
• Quit smoking, chewing tobacco and chewing gums with sugar in them

Most amazing thing in dentistry. Tooth implant. Those patients who don't have teeth and does not want to wear dentures. They should go for tooth implant. But it has to be a good quality implants. We can put 1 teeth with implants or multiple teeth also. That is for life time. Dental implants are good for oral health as well as bone health.