Bleeding while flossing can be an early sign of gum disease. Flossing can’t stop bleeding but it can help in eliminating the cause of why your gums bleed. Gum inflammation can cause bleeding gums as a result of a plaque buildup or vigorous brushing.
If it continues to bleed, you must change your dental care routine and seek your dentist’s recommendation. Bleeding gums don’t mean that your mouth is unclean. Rather, it means that you have to floss more often.
During your first time to floss, it’s common for your gums to bleed. It’s not considered as a dental problem. However, if it doesn’t stop, you should visit your dentist. And don’t stop flossing. Instead, continue flossing daily to get rid of plaque and bacteria that are causing your gums to bleed.
Gums that bleed each time you floss can be a sign of gingivitis. It’s the early stage of gum disease. It can progress to periodontitis and advanced periodontitis if it’s not treated.
And if you continue to ignore your condition, it can cause permanent damage to your teeth resulting in tooth extraction. The earlier this disease is treated, the more likely you can reverse it.
That’s why it’s essential that you visit your dentist regularly to get your gums checked and determine whether or not gingivitis cause the bleeding gums.
Dental checkups
Even if your gums don’t bleed when you floss, you should still visit your dentist every six months. Dental visits can assist in fighting and preventing gum disease as your dentist can perform an oral examination to find out if your mouth is showing signs of gingivitis or periodontitis.
From there, your dentist can recommend an appropriate treatment to improve your oral health.
Then, your dentist can also remove plaque buildup and hardened tartar through professional dental cleaning.
Remember that plaque is the number one cause why you have bleeding gums. The bacteria in the plaque irritate and infect gum tissue causing swelling and tenderness. When the plaque is removed by daily brushing, flossing, and professional cleaning, gingivitis can be treated.
If you have extreme plaque buildup, your dentist may recommend that you visit his/her clinic more than twice a year. In this way, he/she can monitor and manage your plaque buildup.
To protect your gums, your dentist may recommend anti-plaque toothpaste approved by the ADA. Now, if your bleeding gums turned out to be a sign of advanced periodontitis, nonsurgical treatment may be performed. This treatment may be scaling or root planing. It’s a method known to remove plaque and tartar from the teeth and gum line.
Other causes of bleeding gums
Just because your gums bleed when you floss, doesn’t mean that you have gingivitis. It could also mean that your flossing routine isn’t right. Talk to your dentist on how to properly floss in between your teeth. However, bleeding is expected if you just started to floss regularly. The condition should resolve within a few days.
Another reason for bleeding gums is a blood thinning medication.
Whatever the reason is, you have to give your dentist a call and schedule an appointment. It’s especially true if bleeding gums regularly occur or if they concern you.