Bleeding Gums

Bleeding gums, or gum disease as it is popularly known, is the condition which causes the inflammation, swelling and redness of the gums. In medical terms, this condition is known as gingivitis. This causes the bleeding of the gums while brushing the teeth.

The basic cause of this condition is the building up of plaque, which contains bacteria and is sticky in nature, upon the teeth. It can be removed while brushing. But any leftover plaque can cause painful gums due to the release of toxins by the bacteria.

Periodontitis is a condition associated with gingivitis, which causes the falling of teeth due to the spreading up of inflammation throughout the gums. The advanced case of periodontitis is known as pyorrhoea.

A severe condition called Acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG) occurs only in those who are malnourished or whose immunity system is very weak. This condition is also known as trench mouth or Vincent’s gingivitis.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of gingivitis are:

• Redness and swelling of the gums
• Painful and tender gums
• The gums start bleeding after one brush the teeth.

In case of periodontitis the intensity of swelling, pain and bleeding of the gums increase very much. Other symptoms that the person may experience are:

• halitosis or bad breath
• difficulty in eating
• pus flow from the gums
• a bad taste in the mouth
• loose teeth
• falling out of teeth and
• developing abscesses on the gums

The symptoms of ANUG are:

• General feeling of being unwell
• fever
• Very severely painful gums
• Intensely bleeding gums
• severe halitosis
• Difficult to talk
• Difficult to swallow
• Excessive salivation
• mouth tastes like some metal
• Developing of ulcers in the gums between the teeth.

Causes

The most popular trigger for gingivitis as well as periodontitis is the building up of plaque on to the teeth.

In certain cases, the plaques harden to form the tartar, which can be removed only by the help of a dentist by a process called scale and polish. This is used to scrap off the tartar from then teeth and then the teeth are polished to avoid the stains present.

The presence of a pathetic oral hygiene can also cause tartars, leading to gingivitis and then to periodontitis. Factors like

• smoking
• a weakened immune system
• high diabetes
• can cause gingivitis.

The factors that increase the risk of developing ANUG are

• malnutrition
• stress
• smoking
• poor oral hygiene and
• immunocompromise

ANUG can be prevented by maintaining a proper oral hygiene and treating gingivitis as well as periodontitis properly.

Treatment

Healthy oral hygiene prevents gingivitis and also periodontitis. In certain cases antiseptic mouthwash in gel or spray form may be administered. Scaling and polishing may be done for removing the tartars. In certain cases, antibiotics like metronidazole will be prescribed.

For ANUG, antibiotics like amoxicillin will be used for three days. Analgesics like ibuprofen will help in relieving the pain of the gums. One may be advised to use mouthwash twice or thrice daily.

Stopping the habit of smoking can prevent oneself from developing any of these conditions.