The story begins here..
Ramesh ( Name changed), 32 years old male ( IT professional ) reported to our Malligai dental hospital for the chief complaint of having bleeding gums.When Our chief doctor was interacting with him, ram gave a very peculiar story. The story is ,"He said that his wife is not happy when he approaches her for sex.His doubt is whether his wife is not satisfied because of his bad breath caused by Bleeding Gums.
Then Our chief doctor did a thorough checkup for Mr. Ramesh and found that he is having acute gingivitis aggravated by Diabetes. Our Chief doctor also enquired his wife about this.During the conversation, she said about the bad breath (halitosis) emanating from her husband's mouth. Due to this, it has drastically affected their love life, and because of this, she was not decided even to have a baby.She is not enjoying sex with him due to this.
So in this desparate situation we would really love to help them.After proper treatment for Gum disease for Mr. Ramesh using the latest Gum therapy protocols by our resident Periodontist(also called Gum specialist), Ramesh got his problem solved, and he and his wife enjoyed a fruitful sexual relationship.
What is bleeding gum?
Let's begin with a question, Where does the strength of a tree lies? Is that in the tree or the roots or the soil? If you say tree then it is wrong, if you tell roots, then it is partially right, and if you tell soil, then your are cent percent correct.
If you compare a tree with your mouth.then the teeth are your tree, tree roots are like your tooth roots, and your gums and the bone below are like soil where the fertility of the tooth comes from. Bleeding gums are normally called as gingivitis in medical language. It is also called inflammation of gums. When the gum inflammation is not taken care at the proper time, it may affect the periodontium (the bone below) which leads to loosening of the teeth in the future.
What causes bleeding gums?
There are many factors which aggravate and causes gum bleeding they are as follows:
Plaque and food accumulation :
What is a plaque?
These are those slimy slippery and removable food which gets stuck in the tooth after we eat. Although we brush correctly, our brush and floss can't reach the deeper parts of the gum line.These plaque has got lots of deposits of bacteria which starts leaching lots of toxic substances into the gums. When there is no proper removal of food and plaque, it causes bleeding gums.
Improper brushing :
Many people have the idea that brushing for long hours makes them get bright and shining teeth which is a mere misconception. Brushing hardly for a long time, use of hard brushes can injure the gums and could cause bleeding gums.
Improper flossing:
Most people have started using dental floss for removal of interdental food and debris accumulations when you are using dental floss and if you suddenly stop it and restart flossing it causes bleeding gums.
Pregnancy :
During the period of pregnancy, there are many changes which occur systemically and in the oral cavity of pregnant women, due to which there will be inflammation of gums which causes bleeding gums.
Puberty :
Bleeding gums are common in females, during puberty there are many changes which occurs in the body of the women during which due to improper maintenance of oral hygiene and the hormonal changes causes bleeding gums.
Vitamin deficiency :
Deficiency of certain vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin K causes bleeding gums. Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy which leads to bleeding gums.
Drugs and medication :
Certain medications like anti-hypertensive drugs cause bleeding and swelling of gums. So if the bleeding gum is due to medication, it's better to consult the physician and stop the medication or replace the drug with some other medicines.
Stress :
In our day to day life, the word stress is getting very popular among everyone in this world, the fear causes many physical, mental changes and in the activity of the brain, this changes can also cause bleeding gums.
Bleeding disorders :
Various bleeding disorder especially leukemia causes severe bleeding gums, so it's always suggested to consult the physician before taking further steps or giving any dental treatment.
Ill-fitting denture :
As the age increases old peoples tends to have lots of missing tooth this leads to difficulty in eating so to replace the missing tooth they prefer using denture if these dentures are not fitting correctly due to resorption of the bone they may hurt the gums and lead to bleeding gums.
Bleeding gums can lead to periodontitis :
The bleeding gums need treatment at the initial stage; if they are not treated, they may proceed further and affect the bone and periodontium leading to loss of support of the tooth.
Bleeding gums may be suggestive of diabetes :
Mouth is the mirror of the face according to this word the changes occurring in the oral cavity will suggest the unknown systemic diseases. Bleeding gum is suggestive that the patient may suffer from type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
How to prevent bleeding gums?
The regular visit to the dentist:
It's always advised to consult the dentist if you are suffering from bleeding gums. If the bleeding gums are left untreated, the inflammations could proceed further to periodontium and may result in falling of tooth in future, so it's advised to do tooth cleaning otherwise called as scaling every six months once.The common false belief is tooth cleaning could cause gaps between the teeth, and it would weaken the tooth.
This is due to the following:
Does tooth cleaning causes tooth loosening?
1.Lack of Education before performing
Normally the patient's dentist should tell the patient before the cleaning procedure that after the tooth cleaning is completed , the dust particles between the tooth could get removed .This will be causing a small void between the teeth mimicking as a gap.This has happened not because of cleaning but because of the particle which got removed between the tooth. So pls don't mistake ,that the gaps are created by cleaning.Since most doctors don't educate the patients before the treatment this kind of misbeliefs happens.This prevents many people to go for cleaning.
2.Loosening of the tooth after tooth cleaning:
The answer for this could be in Indian context When a patient comes to a dentist it is always for addressing a problem, not a precaution. So what happened here is at the time when the patient reaches the clinic for tooth cleaning there are a lot of bone destructions and gum infections. So when the doctor started cleaning the tooth without informing before the patient that it could cause some tooth movement or tooth loosening. After the cleaning immediately sends the patient notices the tooth loosening he immediately starts panicking and thinking that is caused by only cleaning this is again a second misconception which people have regarding tooth cleaning.
Brush twice daily and maintain proper oral hygiene:
Brush twice daily it's advised to brush during the night because the bacteria are active during night times since there is an acidic environment in the oral cavity during the night which causes inflammation of gums leading to bleeding of gums.
Floss the interdental areas once daily:
The inflammation and accumulation of food debris are more common and prone in the interdental areas to remove this it's advised to use the dental floss. Proper use of dental floss prevents gum bleeding.
Why is flossing very important?
If you take a tooth which has got five sides our normal brushing does only 3 out of 5 areas mathematically if you see you are doing only 60% of brushing which is not ideal. If you want to have a very good brushing aiming about 100% you have to use the toothbrush and also floss which covers the hundred percent of the tooth, so flossing is very very important.
Use mouthwashes after each meal:
Various mouthwashes are available in the market which prevents the accumulation of food and debris, thereby eliminating various bacteria which causes gum diseases and gum bleedings.
Consult the physician if the bleeding gum is due to systemic disease:
Bleeding gums may be due to various systemic disease, bleeding disorders like leukemia, hemophilia, platelet disorders and even due to deficiency of certain vitamins like vitamin c and vitamin k, so it's advised to consult the physician if the bleeding gum is due to systemic diseases and take proper medication to prevent bleeding gums.
Replace the hard brush with soft bristle brush if the bleeding gums are due to hard bristles of the brush:
Bleeding gums may be due to vigorous brushing and use of hard bristles brush, so it's advised to change the brush twice a month and use soft bristles brush.
Holistic method of treating gum bleeding :
This might includes Gum treatment with Ayurveda,Homoepathy and Siddha medicines.
1.Saltwater and baking soda :
Saltwater and baking soda are the best remedies available at home for treatment of gum bleeding.Take a small amount of saltwater or baking soda and mix it up with a glass of water.This reduces the gum bleeding.overdoing can do more harm.
2. Oil pulling :
In the recent year, there is lots of discussion about the ancient practice of oil pulling in the prevention of bleeding gums the swishing of oil in the mouth for few seconds have proved in strengthening the gums. Oil pulling could be done with various types of oils like coconut, sunflower oil, gingelly oil (groundnut oil).
3. Amala fruit :
It's advised to consume Amla fruit. Apart from vitamin c rich it also has many other phytonutrients with antioxidant effect.
4. Coconut oil :
Coconut oil as natural healing properties, anti-inflammatory nature which can reduce inflammation in your gums, while its antimicrobial properties help to fight with the plaque.
5. Tea tree oil :
Tea tree oil with coconut oil when massaged gently into your gums for 5-10 minutes prevents bleeding gums due to its antiseptic and antimicrobial properties.
6. Clove oil :
Clove oil along with coconut oil can be blended directly to your bleeding gums this should be done twice daily since clove contains phenolic compounds like eugenol which imparts anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Clove oil is also the natural analgesic. These properties are highly effective in treating bleeding gums and gingivitis.
7. Food habits :
Increased intake of food rich in vitamins like citrus fruits, leafy vegetables, berries, peas, sprouts, fish, meat, and eggs helps in preventing bleeding gums caused by vitamin deficiency. Also, consult your doctor to check for deficiencies.
8. Salt water mouth rinse :
Rinsing your mouth thoroughly with the mixture of salt and warm water 2-3 times daily reduces the inflammation and combat infection that causes bleeding gums due to its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.
9. Honey:
Take honey and massage it gently on your gums at least twice daily, honey is antibacterial and is proven remedy against bacterial infections like gingivitis that causes your gums to bleed. It also possesses healing and anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce the inflammation and bleeding gum.
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So we found that Mr. Ramesh had bleeding gums due to plaque accumulation and food debris, with improper brushing. After treatment ( scaling and gum treatments ) and giving the motivation and knowledge about the brushing technique ,Mr. Ramesh followed it strictly, and in a week the bleeding gums and bad breath subsided. He started gaining the love of his friends circle, his colleagues started having a comfort zone with him, His love relation started with his partner within the end of 1 year of his visit to Malligai Dental Hospital, and they were blessed with a baby boy.
So if you or your family member or friends having this problem, you can approach Malligai Dental Hospital in Chennai for your gum bleeding problems or your nearest dental hospital at any time and have the happy smile with your family and your working environment.