Bleeding gums, is it caused by "heat"? The answer is...

Author: Zheng Shuguo, Chief Physician, Peking University School of Stomatology

Reviewer: Sun Zheng, Chief Physician, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, Capital Medical University

Bleeding gums are very common in daily life.

Some friends found blood stains on their toothbrushes when brushing their teeth, while some friends found blood stains on their food when eating apples.

Generally, people’s first reaction is that they are getting hot and drinking more water will be fine.

Actually not.

1. What exactly causes bleeding gums?

Bleeding gums is a symptom and a phenomenon, not a disease, but this phenomenon often indicates a certain disease.

There are two general reasons for bleeding gums:

One type is called local factors, such as poor oral hygiene and incorrect brushing methods, which lead to dental plaque in the mouth. Dental plaque is a biological film on the surface of teeth. There are calcium and phosphorus ions in the saliva, which continuously calcify to form tartar, which then presses on the gums and causes inflammation. At this time, for example, eating hard things, such as apples and steamed buns, will leave blood marks on apples and steamed buns, and bleeding will also occur when brushing teeth. This is a local and more common cause.

The other type is actually very rare and is related to systemic factors. For example, some special diseases, blood diseases or diseases of other organs in the body may also affect the health of the oral cavity, and gum bleeding may also occur at this time.

Figure 1 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

Therefore, bleeding gums are a phenomenon and a reflection of a disease, which should be taken seriously by us.

2. When the gums are bleeding, is it okay to just rinse your mouth without brushing your teeth?

Can't.

If your gums bleed when you brush your teeth, you are afraid to brush the bleeding area. This is wrong.

Clinical examinations have found that areas that bleed easily when brushing teeth often have mild inflammation of the gums, and there is usually dental plaque attached.

When you bleed when brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth and continue brushing the bleeding area. This will remove most of the plaque. After the irritation of the plaque is eliminated, the gums will slowly return to normal through their own repair.

Some friends have bleeding gums and hope to solve the problem by using special mouthwashes, but this is actually wrong. Because the dental plaque and tartar attached to the teeth cannot be washed away by mouthwash, they can only be removed by brushing your teeth regularly or even washing your teeth.

Of course, if the bleeding gums are caused by wearing braces, improper dentures, or insufficient cleaning of the braces, we can use some special cleaning tools.

If the bleeding gums are caused by a systemic disease, early detection and early treatment will have a very good effect on the prognosis of the disease. Therefore, daily oral health care is the most important thing, and you cannot hope to solve the problem by taking special medicine.

3. If your gums bleed frequently, what should you pay attention to in your life?

First, pay attention to oral health. Young people nowadays have good teeth, so they don’t care much about it. But when old people lose their teeth, eating becomes a big problem and the quality of life will be seriously reduced.

Everyone knows that when you have a toothache, you dare not eat or even sleep, so you must be aware of this and develop the habit of going to the hospital for regular oral examinations. For example, when you have a full body checkup every year, you should not ignore the oral examination.

Second, you must develop good oral hygiene habits, including using a toothbrush, dental floss, and toothpaste. This is also a very critical point.

Third, diet. Nowadays, many young people like to eat very stimulating food, such as very cold and hard food, which can also cause some damage to the gums. From the perspective of diet, on the one hand, we should emphasize balanced nutrition, and on the other hand, we should also pay attention to avoiding overly stimulating food. From the perspective of preventing tooth decay, sugar intake should also be reduced as much as possible.

Fourth, quit smoking. There are many smokers in our country now. In fact, smoking is not good for the gums and periodontal system.

Figure 2 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

Therefore, for oral health, it is very important to pay attention to oral examinations, oral cleaning, and maintain good eating and living habits.