Bleeding gums: causes, treatment, what to do at home

The appearance of blood in the mouth when brushing your teeth can be noted for various reasons - from using an excessively stiff brush to an increased tendency of gums to hemorrhage. Hemorrhage is a pathological hemorrhage that occurs in any part of the body both due to external influences and against the background of some dangerous internal diseases.

Due to the severity of the symptom and the complexity of the diagnosis, do it yourself when the gums bleed, you can’t - you need to see a doctor and undergo a course of professional treatment.

Reasons why gums bleed constantly

All the reasons that gums bleed and hurt can be divided into two large groups - diseases of the oral cavity and systemic disorders.

Oral diseases

For this group of causes leading to bleeding of the gums, local manifestations are characteristic: swelling, hyperemia (redness) of the gum tissues, severe pain, aggravated by eating, plaque near the tooth roots. In addition, with sick gums it smells bad from the mouth.

Why gums can bleed:

• Stomatitis is a focal inflammation of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity or tongue, accompanied by the appearance of small ulcers or aphthae on it.
• Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums in which they bleed and hurt. Most often, bleeding occurs precisely for this reason.
• Periodontitis is an inflammation of the structures responsible for attaching a tooth to the jaw.
• All kinds of injuries of the oral cavity: mechanical, thermal, chemical.

General systemic disorders, bleeding gums when brushing your teeth

Gum bleeding that intensifies when brushing your teeth can be a symptom of a system-wide disorder. It is necessary to pay attention to the presence of other signs that may indicate a deterioration in blood coagulability or high fragility of blood vessels: frequent nosebleeds, a tendency to bruise and bruising, heavy periods in women. To exclude a dangerous pathology, a doctor's consultation is required.

System-wide pathologies that provoke bleeding gums include:

• Some types of vitamin deficiency, for example, a deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
• Pregnancy. In pregnant women, the gums bleed due to the effects of hormones on the walls of the blood vessels.
• Smoking. The substances contained in tobacco smoke make the walls of blood vessels fragile and brittle.
• Blood oncopathology (leukemia), as well as the conditions that arise during their treatment, for example, thrombocytopenia, is a lack of platelets.
• Hemophilia is a congenital coagulopathy characterized by a deficiency of certain coagulation proteins in the blood.
• Diabetes.
• Viral infection, for example, herpes simplex virus.
• Autoimmune diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis.
• Pathology of the liver, for example, cirrhosis.

The principles of diagnosis and treatment of bleeding gums

Gum bleeding can be eliminated only with an integrated approach, including the establishment of the cause of the disease, qualified dental care, drug therapy and alternative treatment methods.

To exclude systemic pathologies when identifying the causes of gum bleeding, a specialist can refer the patient to the following tests:

• general blood test - allows you to detect the presence of other diseases;
• detailed blood test - specific changes may indicate a specific pathology, for example, leukemia;
• coagulogram - allows you to establish the lack of coagulation factors.

Treatment for bleeding gums is aimed at eliminating the underlying disease and is carried out by a pediatrician, therapist, dentist or hematologist.

Treatment at the dentist

The dentist treats bleeding gums caused by diseases of the oral cavity. How to treat gums if they bleed due to gingivitis or periodontitis:

1. Professional hygiene procedures: cleaning teeth from plaque and removing tartar.
2. Drug therapy:
   • Rinse the mouth with an antiseptic (Furacilin, Miramistin). It is carried out at least 4-5 times a day and always every time after a meal. The duration of rinsing is 5-7 minutes.
   • Taking antibiotics. Appointed with a pronounced inflammatory process of a bacterial nature. The drug and treatment regimen is determined by the doctor.
   • The use of dental gels with analgesic, wound healing, antiseptic effect: Solcoseryl, Metrogil Dent. The regularity of applying the gel is 2-3 times a day after pre-rinsing the mouth with an antiseptic.
   • Hemostatic agents. Shown if the gums bleed very badly.
   • Medications for nonspecific stimulation of the immune system: vitamins and immunocorrectors.

Gum healing is not a quick process, it usually lasts at least a week. During this period, you should refrain from brushing your teeth with a hard bristle brush.

Physiotherapy

For the treatment of diseases of the oral cavity, not only medicines are used, but also physiotherapeutic procedures. For the treatment of periodontal disease and gingivitis appoint:

• Gum massage. Apply finger, hardware massage and hydromassage. Massage the entire surface of the gums, and not just the place where it bleeds.
• Electrophoresis with drugs. An electric current of a certain frequency promotes local absorption of nicotinic acid, which stimulates vascular tone. Electrophoresis with novocaine has both a stimulating and analgesic effect.
• Ural Federal District. Irradiation with ultraviolet light is indicated if the gums bleed very often, and between the teeth there are foci of purulent inflammation.

Toothpastes for the treatment of bleeding gums

Due to the prevalence of the problem - in developed countries, up to 4% of people complain that they have blood coming from the gums when brushing their teeth - special pastes have been developed to strengthen the gum tissue. Another positive effect of these pastes is that they can get rid of the unpleasant odor, often accompanying diseases of the oral cavity.

Everyone chooses pasta from bleeding gums individually, but the following brands of these products are the most popular:

• "Forest Balsam" is a medicinal paste based on extracts of chamomile, celandine and St. John's wort with the addition of sea buckthorn oil.
• Blend-a-med Complex - contains oak bark.
• Blend-a-med Pro-Expert - based on tin fluoride, which strengthens teeth and gums.
• "Elmex Aronal" - contains vitamin A.
• A series of toothpastes "President" - contain extracts of herbs, as well as anti-inflammatory components.

When the gums bleed when brushing your teeth, do not use whitening pastes. Neglecting this advice can lead to increased hemorrhage.

Gums bleed, what to do at home

When it is not possible to quickly consult a doctor, and the gum is bleeding heavily, it is permissible to begin treatment at home with hydrogen peroxide. After wetting a cotton ball with a 1-3% peroxide solution, you should carefully treat the gum with soaking soaking movements.

Do not allow peroxide to get on your teeth, this can lead to irreversible destruction of tooth enamel. It is impossible to be treated with peroxide for a long time, you must definitely go to the doctor, even if the bleeding has stopped.

It is allowed to use at home decoctions or infusions of medicinal herbs. Such remedies will help cure gums faster, but should be used in conjunction with official medicine. Herbal ingredients are especially in demand, preparations of which have antiseptic, hemostatic and tanning effects. Such folk remedies for constant bleeding of the gums include:

• Decoction or infusion of chamomile pharmacy.
• Decoction or infusion of oak bark.
• A decoction of an upright potentilla (Potentilla).
• A decoction of calamus rhizome.
• Infusion of sage.

Gums soaked in broth or infusion should be treated with gums, paying special attention to the gaps between the teeth - usually in this place the gums bleed most intensively.

Recipes for folk remedies for bleeding gums

Recipes for the preparation of folk remedies that are used when bleeding gums:

• In 500 ml of water add 2 tablespoons of dry oak bark. The mixture is boiled for 5-7 minutes, and then filtered through cheesecloth. Cooled broth rinse your mouth three times a day.
• Dry herbs - chamomile, sage, nettle - are mixed in equal proportions and poured with boiling water: for 2 tablespoons of the mixture take half a liter of water. The finished broth is allowed to infuse until completely cooled, and then filtered. Rinsing regularity - at least twice a day. The tool can be done in advance, but do not store it for more than a few days.
• To prepare a soda-salt solution, take 15 grams of salt, 8 grams of soda and dilute them in one liter of warm water. Salt and soda crystals should completely dissolve. Rinse four times a day.
• For the preparation of medical toothpaste, sea salt and dried banana peel are taken. All ingredients are individually ground in a mortar or coffee grinder. The resulting powders are mixed in a ratio of 3 (salt) to 2 (banana skins). A mixture of powders is slowly poured with olive oil, gently stirring. The result should be a paste that is carefully rubbed twice a day into the sore gums. 10 minutes after applying the paste, rinse your mouth. The tool helps to remove not only bleeding, but also bad breath.

It is impossible to recover without knowing why teeth constantly bleed and stagger. Therefore, before starting therapy with folk remedies, you must consult a doctor for diagnosis and consultation. Official medicine is skeptical of self-medication, as in most cases, alternative therapy does not cure the cause of the disease.

However, the moderate use of folk remedies for bleeding gums, prepared at home, coupled with traditional treatment, helps to quickly get rid of the discomfort that occurs when the gum is bleeding.

Prevention

Preventive measures aimed at preventing dental diseases should begin with training in the rules of oral hygiene:

• Dental brushing should be regular - at least twice a day.
• Teeth should be brushed with soft or semi-rigid bristles.
• For deeper cleaning of the interdental spaces, dental floss should be used - with their help it is convenient to remove food fragments stuck in the gum pockets.
• After each meal, rinse your mouth.

Gum bleeding can be prevented by diet. The diet should be rich in foods containing trace elements and vitamins, especially in the autumn-winter period. Mandatory to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, which can combat the lack of vitamins. If it is impossible to diversify the diet, you can take vitamin complexes.

If the gum is already bleeding, you should exclude from the diet products with an irritating effect: salinity, smoked meats, spices (garlic, pepper, turmeric).In addition, it is necessary to reduce the intake of carbohydrate-rich foods, since it helps to multiply microorganisms on the gums and in the periodontium.

Preventing bleeding gums is easier than treating it, so you should not neglect preventive examinations at the dentist. It is enough to visit a doctor once every six months to assess the condition of the teeth and gums. If necessary, you should resort to professional oral hygiene in a dental clinic: brush your teeth from plaque and tartar.