Protect your gums and prevent bleeding with these essential tips.
Oral health is key to a radiant and beautiful smile. Caring for your teeth by maintaining a routine of brushing and flossing helps prevent your gums bleeding and wards off potential dental issues. Visiting your dentist at least twice a year is a good start, but you can do many things at home. A complete set of fully functioning teeth and aesthetically appealing gums require regular attention.
How Oral Health Affects You
Taking care of your mouth has multiple benefits
1. Confidence – Pearly white teeth and pink gums make it easier to smile brightly when there is nothing to hide.
2. Overall Health – When you have good oral health you improve your general health. Issues with your teeth and gums can cause infections that impact other parts of your body.
3. Less Issues – One dental issue can lead to another especially if you ignore the initial problem. When you keep a healthy mouth, you reduce the chances of gum disease developing into periodontitis or other dental problems.
How to Take Care of Your Gums
Gums bleeding is a warning sign. It means you are not taking care of your oral health. Blood inside your mouth could indicate the onset of gum disease or infection. It is important to book an appointment with your dentist to determine the cause of the problem. Here are a few preventative measures you can take to help keep your teeth and gums in good shape.
Use the Right Toothbrush – Stop just picking a toothbrush off the shelf because it is the closest one to you or the cheapest. When choosing a cleaning tool for your teeth you want to ensure it has soft bristles to steer clear of harsh abrasion that could negatively affect your enamel. A soft-bristled brush is better at getting under your gumline to clean those hard-to-reach areas.
Floss – Brushing your teeth is not enough. It is important to floss daily to clean in between your teeth where bristles cannot reach. Flossing helps to remove sneaky food debris hiding in those tight places along the gumline. It is important to keep these in-between areas clean to prevent the onset of gum infections. Food particles can easily turn into bacteria that start to eat away at your enamel and gum tissue.
Healthy Diet – Focus on nutrition when choosing a snack or making a meal. Try to eat things that are good for your teeth and body. A balanced diet filled with fruits and vegetables is rich in vitamin C which helps keep your gums healthy. Vitamin B12 is found in milk and eggs, helping to keep your bones strong and prevent gum disease.
What to Do Now?
If you notice your gums are bleeding and want to help stop it before you get to the dentist, then you can try:
- Adding Turmeric to Your Diet – Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and can aid in calming your gums down. Try drinking tea with turmeric or adding it to your meals. You may even want to create a paste out of it and apply it to your gums then rinse.
- Drink Green Tea – Not only is it a comforting drink, but green tea can lower your body’s inflammatory response so it might be able to reverse some gum inflammation.
- Saltwater Rinse – Rinse your mouth out with salt water. This natural antiseptic has anti-bacterial, pain relieving, and anti-inflammatory properties. Bonus, it also freshens your breath.
These things will all help with eliminating the taste of blood in your mouth too.
How to Know When Bleeding Gums Are a Dental Emergency
If you are unable to stop your gums from bleeding or there is a ton of blood coming out, then you need emergency dental. It is, however, always a good idea to get your dentist to check your mouth to determine the reason your gums bleed. When you are unsure if a dentist appointment is needed asap then call your dentist to get their professional opinion.
Dental Relief
The cause of gums bleeding can be discovered by your dentist and treatment options will be recommended. Stop feeling icky and sore from this dental issue and instead get the relief you need to look and feel great. At Glenbrook Dental, we have many treatments to correct red, swollen and bleeding gums and offer advice on how to keep your mouth healthy.