What I Used to Think About Gum Bleeding

Have you ever experienced bleeding from gum during brushing and flossing?

Before I became a dentist, I panic whenever I saw this.

What I did was I tried to brush very carefully and gently so that I do not hurt my gum further.

In most of the time, the bleeding would go away sometime later.

What I Know About Gum Bleeding

After becoming a dentist, I learnt that bleeding gum is a sign of inflammation of the gum.

(Sign of inflammation: redness, swelling, heat, pain and loss of function.)

What causes inflammation of gum is the plaque and tartar on the teeth and gum.

How Can I Help My Body to Fight the Infection?

The most effective way to stop it is by getting rid of the bacteria.

This can be done by brushing away the plaque and scaling to remove the calculus by a dentist.

The Simple Steps to Stop Gum Bleeding

1. Brush twice daily. Make sure that the bristle of your toothbrush cleans the junction between gum and teeth.
2. Floss once daily
3. Dental scaling every 6 monthly or as recommended by your dentist
4. Have a dental check up to rule out if there is any other cause of the bleeding gum

With that, I hope you won’t be panic when you see your gum bleeds like I used to be.

Now when I see bleeding from gum, I will say,

“Okay, got it, is time to have a spa at dental clinic. Thank you for reminding me!”

With love,

Gwen Gan