Bleeding gums when brushing your teeth is not a concern, but it is wise to be more alert to your teeth. Bleeding gums can lead to a chronic inflammation: periodontitis.
Symptoms of periodontitis
Redness and swelling of the gums
Bleeding gums
Structure of the gums becomes limp
Foul taste in the mouth
Bad breath
There is space between the teeth and molars
Teeth and molars eventually become detached
1. Is periodontitis common often?
Yes. One in ten adult people has periodontitis. Among the over-50s it even occurs in thirty percent of the cases.
2. How does gum become inflamed?
Inflamed gums do not mean that there is therefore periodontitis. Anyone who notices that when brushing or when biting an apple or a hard pistol, the gums bleed a little at the edges, this is due to a starting gum disease. This is called gingivitis. This is almost always the result of careless oral hygiene. Hundreds of different types of bacteria live in the mouth. They attach themselves to the teeth and choose and form a layer of dental plaque. Calcifying plaque is tartar. The accumulation of plaque and / or tartar causes an inflammatory reaction. To be clear: a bruised spot in the gums that hurts and bleeds during brushing is usually the result of brushing too hard. Hard brushing is bad for delicate gums and tooth enamel. Therefore always use a soft brush and brush controllers.
3. How does gum disease become periodontitis
If you do nothing about the onset of gum inflammation, there is a chance that the inflammation of the gums will become chonic and spread to the jawbone. Then there is periodontitis. The gums turn red, swell, get a weak structure and become detached from the teeth. The space between teeth and molars is getting deeper and deeper. As a result, the bacteria advance and eventually reach the jawbone. This will cause the jaw bone to shrink, causing the roots of the teeth to lose their hold. As a result, teeth and molars come loose and fall out.
4. Does periodontitis only affect the mouth?
No. It is still far too unknown that poor oral hygiene has consequences not only for teeth, molars and gums, but also for the rest of the body. After all, periodontitis involves chronic inflammation and that is bad for the immune system.
5. Can periodontitis be cured?
That is possible, but it is a lengthy and sometimes painful process. The undesirable damage to the jaw bone is irreparable in most cases. The treatment consists of professional cleaning sessions where plaque and tartar are removed deep into the gums and therefore also from the deepened pockets. The following steps depend on the severity A bacteriological examination may be necessary to determine which types of bacteria are in the dental plaque. Antibiotics will be used depending on the outcome. It may also be necessary to perform a so-called flap operation, whereby gums are detached from the teeth and molars so that cleaning can be carried out even more efficiently.
6. What is a good oral hygiene?
Brush twice a day for two minutes and clean your teeth interdental every evening.
Between the teeth.
With dental floss or tape, toothpicks or, depending on the space between teeth and molars, with special brushes. Do the interdental cleaning before brushing and not after. You can possibly have a mouthwash afterwards.
