Common Causes of Bleeding Gums

When think about oral health, the first thing that probably comes to mind is your teeth. However, you’d be remiss to forget about your gums, the very thing that covers the bone holding the roots of your teeth and helps support the tooth structure.

One of the most common gum problems people have is bleeding. While you may not notice it, or ignore the bleeding altogether - it can seriously compromise your teeth’s well-being. As your dentist might tell you, there are many reasons for bleeding gums, such as:

Poor Brushing and Flossing Technique

Any dentist will commend you for brushing and flossing daily but do them too vigorously and you may end up doing more harm than good.

Gum Disease

You may not like to hear it, but your mouth is a bacterial hot spot (hence the importance of brushing and flossing). Ignore these oral care basics and the bacteria may cause your gums to swell and bleed—a condition called gingivitis. If gingivitis progresses, it becomes periodontitis, which weakens your gum and jawbone’s hold on your teeth, ultimately resulting in tooth loss.

Vitamin C Deficiency

If your gums bleed every time you brush your teeth, you may not be getting enough Vitamin C. A lack of it results in painful, swollen gums that bleed easily.

As you can see, gum bleeding is no small matter. At the first sign of it, make sure to schedule a checkup with your dentist to resolve the problem.