Gums are bleeding: what to do, how to treat, what to rinse with?

From this article you will learn:

why the gum moves away from the tooth,
what disease does this indicate?
what to do if the gum on a tooth has receded.

The article was written by a dentist with more than 19 years of experience.

If the gum has moved away from the tooth, this indicates destruction of the attachment of the gum to the necks of the teeth. In this case, the destruction of the periodontal attachment is inflammatory in nature and is one of the symptoms of the development of chronic periodontitis. Such patients usually have additional complaints - bleeding, redness or cyanosis of the gums, and sometimes tooth mobility (Fig. 1).

But, if your gums are receding and your teeth are exposed, this condition, firstly, may also be associated with inflammation of the gums during periodontitis (since inflammatory resorption of the bone around the teeth leads to the fact that the gums sink down). Secondly, there are a number of non-inflammatory reasons, for example, receding gums can occur - 1) due to a traumatic bite, i.e. occlusal trauma, 2) after correcting the bite with braces, 3) due to the thin biotype of the gum, 4) due to the peculiarities of attachment of the lip frenulum to the gum, as well as other reasons.

In Fig. 1 you can see that the patient’s gums have moved away from the teeth (due to the destruction of the dentogingival attachment and the formation of periodontal pockets between the gums and the roots of the teeth) - against the background of gum inflammation.

In Fig. 2 you can see “gum recession” (in the area of the central lower incisors) - this is the term dentists use to describe the condition when the gums recede and the surface of the tooth root is exposed.

Why do my gums bleed?

Bleeding from the gums can occur for mechanical or pathological reasons.
The first group includes a blow to the jaw area or minor injuries due to an incorrectly selected crown or filling. In this case, bleeding goes away immediately after the problem is eliminated. Only a doctor can assess whether a crown has been chosen correctly or a filling has been installed during a face-to-face consultation, because it is difficult to see such nuances on your own. Gums can also be damaged by a brush that is too hard, intensive use of dental floss, or careless impact with other objects in an attempt to completely remove food debris. In this case, bleeding appears only after the procedure and disappears after a few minutes.

Pathological causes are associated with diseases of the oral cavity and other organs. Bleeding is a symptom:

gingivitis - inflammation of the gums;
stomatitis - ulcers on the oral mucosa;
periodontitis - inflammation of the soft tissues around the tooth (localized - in several units, or generalized with damage to the entire jaw);
leukemia (leukemia) - blood cancer with a characteristic decrease in immunity;
intoxication with heavy metals (lead, mercury);
diabetes mellitus, which causes weakness of the gums and blood vessels due to characteristic angiopathy.

Often gums bleed due to hormonal changes. It can be caused by pregnancy, menstrual irregularities, and puberty.

When your gums bleed when brushing your teeth

Most patients' gums do not bleed constantly. Symptoms only appear when brushing your teeth or eating hard foods. This occurs for several reasons:

inflammation of the gums makes them more vulnerable to injury;
the process of desquamation of the epithelium of the oral mucosa intensifies, which thins the tissue;
capillaries located close to the gums become more permeable and bleeding occurs more easily.

The combination of all three factors leads to the fact that when brushing your teeth, your gums begin to bleed. This symptom should not be ignored. Cure the disease at an early stage is much faster and cheaper than in an advanced form. And the appearance of blood when brushing your teeth is not considered normal; it is always a sign of pathology.

Causes of cracked teeth

The force of pressure on the teeth when chewing reaches 400 kg/cm². Healthy and strong crowns can easily cope with such a load. If the enamel is weakened or excessive pressure is applied, the tooth can crack. Factors contributing to the appearance of cracks in teeth:

malocclusion, bruxism;
depulpation (removal of a nerve);
absence of one/several teeth (uneven load distribution);
deep caries (destruction of 50% of the crown or more);
injuries (fall, blow to the face, accident);
genetically determined weakness of tooth enamel;
poor nutrition leading to a lack of fluoride, calcium, phosphorus;
excess sugar in the diet;
temperature changes when eating (cold-hot);
habit of biting pens and nails;
teeth whitening at home;
traumatic treatment of dental canals, excessive tightening of braces.

Important! Teeth with weakened enamel may crack when eating hard foods (such as crackers). However, chipped teeth more often occur due to prolonged exposure to adverse factors.

Predisposing factors

Bleeding gums can be caused by injury or disease. But there are a number of factors that make the risk of this symptom appearing higher.

Gums bleed in patients:

with chronic inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity;
with xerostomia - dry mouth;
with reduced immunity, including HIV and AIDS;
with vitamin deficiency, especially C and K;
with mouth breathing;
with poor or irregular oral hygiene.

These factors cannot be called the cause, but they contribute to the development of bleeding gums. Those for whom none of the points apply have a much greater chance of not learning about such a problem.

If your gums bleed in the morning or at night

Peak bleeding at night or in the morning indicates an unsuitable toothbrush. During brushing, the gums are injured. In this case, you need to visit the dentist and take a hygiene lesson with the selection of personal hygiene products.

Bleeding gums may not be normal. It is definitely worth finding out the cause and treating it before the disease reaches a chronic stage.

Symptoms

Small, shallow cracks usually do not show themselves in any way. If the damage is voluminous or located in the root area and puts pressure on the neurovascular bundle, the following symptoms appear:

Increased sensitivity to temperature and chemical irritants;
pain when chewing, inhaling cool air;
swelling of the gums around the damaged tooth;
formation of chips and chips.

As the symptoms become more severe, the danger of the problem becomes clear. If cracks in the front teeth do not extend beyond the border of the crown, this only affects the aesthetics of the smile line. Increased tooth sensitivity or pain indicate deeper tissue damage.

Bad breath due to bleeding gums

Bleeding from the gums is often accompanied by bad breath. There are several reasons for this:

proliferation of bacteria against the background of inflammation;
accumulation of soft and hard dental plaque;
the presence of deposits under the gum that are not visible to the naked eye.

An unpleasant odor is a formidable symptom, since it does not appear immediately. This means the disease is already progressing. It is impossible to find out the cause and eliminate it on your own (without a dentist); The pathology will become chronic and it will be more difficult to cure.

EXTENSION

There are several ways your dentist can repair a cracked front tooth. A build-up, for example, usually involves applying a composite resin that is a color similar to your real teeth to fill the crack. Compared to other methods of treating a cracked tooth, bonding is one of the least expensive and requires fewer visits to the dentist. Although dental veneers can restore a tooth in just one appointment, the material used is not as durable as others. Because of its fragility, the material - according to the Cleveland Clinic. – more suitable for teeth that do not experience much chewing pressure, such as the front teeth.

A lump with pus on the gum against the background of bleeding

The appearance of a tumor on the gum can frighten anyone. The presence of a round swelling against the background of bleeding gums indicates one of the diseases:

periodontitis - destruction of the soft tissue around the tooth with the formation of a characteristic lump;
periodontitis - the presence of a capsule with pus on the gum due to destruction of the tooth root;
intragingival fistula - a lump with pus inside, the contents of which, when ruptured, come out, significantly facilitating the patient’s well-being;
periostitis (flux) - a red spherical formation on the gum, the appearance of which is accompanied by swelling of the cheeks and enlargement of the nearest lymph nodes;
epulis is a neoplasm that does not contain pus, resulting from mechanical damage to the soft tissues of the oral cavity;
Gingivitis is a painless lump on the gum.

Most of these conditions require urgent medical attention. If pus gets into the bloodstream or into the internal tissues of the tooth, it not only leads to severe pain, but also poses a fatal danger. If a lump appears on your gum, you should immediately go to see a dental surgeon. He will determine the cause of its formation and select treatment.

Treatment options

Depending on the type of crack, it can be masked. This applies to diagonal cracks, which I mask with veneers. A horizontal crack can be repaired. To do this, the damaged part of the tooth is removed and the remaining part is filled. In this case, a crown can be placed on the tooth.

In case of a vertical crack, the pulp is drilled out and the tooth is filled with further prosthetics.

Gums bleed in pregnant women

While carrying a child, a woman’s body undergoes restructuring: special hormones begin to be produced, and the body changes. This also applies to the oral cavity. Every second pregnant woman is diagnosed with hypertrophic gingivitis. It is manifested by an increase in gingival papillae and the appearance of bleeding.

The cause of this condition in a pregnant woman can also be the accumulation of bacteria due to an increase in the depth of the gum pockets. Bacteria accumulate in them, causing inflammation. Proper brushing helps to avoid the development of bleeding gums. It is better to use an irrigator and mouth rinses for this.

What is the danger of flux?

This pathology is characterized by the development and further damage to deep periodontal tissues. If left untreated, periostitis takes on the most severe forms and leads to infection of the entire body, which can even lead to death. Therefore, it is important to undergo a preventive dental examination and not delay treatment. The doctor will be able to recognize the pathology in time and take measures to prevent the development of inflammation. This will allow you to save your teeth and avoid various complications that gumboil left unattended can cause.

Children's gums bleed

Young children enjoy brushing their teeth the least. If parents do not control the quality of oral hygiene, gingivitis occurs. In this case, the main symptom of the disease is bleeding gums.

The physiological cause of this condition in children is the process of teething. In this case, the integrity of the gum is compromised and it can bleed.

Problems with the gums are also caused by an incorrect bite. In this case, soft tissues are injured by teeth that are incorrectly positioned relative to each other.

Wearing orthodontic appliances can damage the integrity of the gums. This especially happens when wearing braces with uneven edges. To prevent injury, locks must be treated with special wax. But children often forget to do this; as a result, braces damage soft tissues, causing bleeding.

“Disease of dirty hands” - stomatitis, also more often affects children. They take less care of hygiene, which provokes the appearance of characteristic ulcers on the mucous membrane.

Some parents believe that children do not need to treat their baby teeth, because they will still be replaced by molars. This opinion is erroneous, because caries is caused by bacteria, and their constant presence in the mouth leads to periodontitis. The disease is characterized not only by bleeding gums, but also by the appearance of bumps with pus. This condition requires immediate medical intervention, otherwise serious complications arise.

How a fistula is formed

The process of fistula formation looks like this. A small hole appears in the gum near the base of the tooth. Its color stands out a little against the background of healthy tissues - the color is rich pink or red. At the same time, the remaining teeth remain healthy and do not hurt.

At first, the fistula looks like a small swelling, then it grows and resembles a pimple or an abscess. The last stage - the seal opens, after which mucus or pus comes out of it. Then the wound becomes covered with a scar, but does not disappear. In the future, the development of the fistula can become chronic - it will open several times a year and exude pus. During exacerbations, mild pain will be felt.

Which doctor will help if my gums are bleeding?

If you have bleeding gums, you should consult a dentist. In the absence of complications, the doctor’s specialization does not play a role.

If the condition is complicated by the appearance of a lump with pus, you should immediately go to a dental surgeon. He will determine the type of tumor, choose treatment tactics and, if necessary, perform urgent surgery. At the Matisse Dent clinic, you don’t need to make an appointment several weeks in advance, endure pain and wait for help. With an acute condition, doctors will accept and perform surgery on the day of treatment.

Tooth flux - what is it?

Periostitis (flux) is a rather unpleasant process that affects soft tissues and periosteum. An inflamed pouch on the gum can form after unprofessional treatment by a dentist, as a result of injury to the mucous membranes or as a consequence of their disease. There are different forms of flux, differing in the localization of inflammation. For example, with serous periostitis, the periosteum becomes inflamed, and infection with diffuse flux affects different parts of the jaw, so the pathology has to be eliminated surgically.

SOS remedies against bleeding gums

Sometimes it’s impossible to get to the doctor and you need to wait 1-2 days until the appointment. In this case, several SOS tools will help.

Rinses: chlorhexidine, oak bark decoction, LACALUT Aktiv rinses with aluminum lactate and sodium fluoride, PRESIDENT Antibacterial with plant extracts - relieve inflammation, prevent bleeding.
Gels: Cholisal, Parodontocid - reduce pain, remove signs of inflammation.
Pastes: Forest balm - contains oak bark, stops bleeding, strengthens gums.

All means must be used comprehensively. First, brush your teeth, then rinse (1 minute). After this, the solution is spat out and the gums are dried with gauze: this way the gel is better fixed. Then use ointments, applying with your finger to the entire inflamed surface. If saliva comes out during treatment, you should not swallow it, you need to spit it out.

After the procedure, you should refrain from drinking for 30 minutes and from eating for 2 hours. Treatment is carried out twice a day: after breakfast and at night.

The most effective remedy for diseases in which the gums begin to bleed is antibiotics. They help to quickly relieve inflammation and improve well-being. But they are available with a prescription and are taken only as prescribed by a doctor. Therefore, you won’t be able to buy and prescribe antibiotics yourself. It is better to immediately make an appointment with a specialist so as not to waste time and money on something that will not solve the problem, but will only delay the inevitable.

The gum has moved away from the tooth: treatment

If the gum has moved away from the tooth, treatment will largely depend on the severity of the inflammation. For example, if a patient seeks help at a fairly early stage of inflammation (when the depth of periodontal pockets does not yet reach 3 mm and there is no tooth mobility), significant success can be achieved in the treatment of periodontitis and the process can be completely stopped. Advanced cases of gum inflammation will require much more complex treatment and serious financial costs. Next we list the main stages of treatment.

1) Consultation and x-ray diagnostics –

It is necessary to begin treatment with a consultation with a periodontist and a panoramic photograph of the teeth, which will allow you to create an optimal treatment plan taking into account the condition of your teeth and gums. The image will allow you to determine the amount of destruction of bone tissue around each tooth, the location and depth of periodontal pockets, and will help guide the patient in the need for splinting of mobile teeth, the need for prosthetic replacement of missing teeth, and make the correct diagnosis.

An example of a panoramic image of a patient with periodontitis –

Looking closely at the image, you may notice that the level of bone tissue (the bone looks in the image as fine-mesh looped tissue and normally should reach the necks of the teeth) is reduced in different teeth by 1/4 to 4/5 of the length of their roots. The patient has decayed teeth that need to be removed, as well as carious teeth that require treatment (24stoma.ru). The level of bone tissue is most reduced in the front teeth of the upper and lower jaw, which in this case was the result of not only inflammation of the gums, but also the absence of the chewing group of teeth.

To treat gums, it is best to contact not ordinary dental therapists or hygienists, but periodontists. These are the dentists who specialize in gum treatment. The first and most important stage of treatment will be ultrasonic teeth cleaning. Next, a course of anti-inflammatory therapy is carried out, which in most cases can be successfully carried out at home.

2) Removal of dental plaque –

First of all, it is necessary to remove the cause of inflammation - microbial plaque and dental deposits. They are removed from the teeth using an ultrasonic scaler (Fig. 15), usually over several visits. It is simply impossible to remove all dental deposits in just 1 visit in a patient with periodontitis, because... It takes a lot of time to remove subgingival dental plaque, which is localized in periodontal pockets below the gum level.

It is subgingival dental plaque that poses the main danger for further progression of inflammation, so sometimes it is necessary to prescribe the patient even 3-5 times. Learn that without professional cleaning, all other stages (for example, anti-inflammatory therapy, splinting) will be completely meaningless.

Most dentists and hygienists won't bother with finding and removing subgingival calculus...as experience has shown. Therefore, it is very important to find a competent specialist. Anti-inflammatory therapy is prescribed immediately after 1 session of removing tartar, and within the first 24 hours you will be able to notice changes in the appearance of the gums. In parallel with the reduction in gum swelling, their volume will also decrease, which will allow you to see new portions of dental plaque and remove them during subsequent visits.

Removing dental plaque with ultrasound: video

You can see in the following photos what happens when subgingival tartar is removed poorly. The first photograph shows that the gums are visually in good condition, although a periodontal probe revealed the presence of a periodontal pocket about 5 mm deep. The second photograph was taken after the gums were detached from the teeth, and it shows a very large amount of destruction of bone tissue, which arose due to the presence of small subgingival tartar on the surface of the tooth root.

3) Anti-inflammatory therapy –

The course of anti-inflammatory therapy usually lasts 10 days. In most cases, it is carried out by the patient himself at home, after doctor’s prescriptions and patient education. However, if the patient has deep periodontal pockets with purulent discharge, the doctor may additionally prescribe washing the periodontal pockets, which is done using a syringe and antiseptic solutions. In some cases, antibiotic therapy may also be prescribed for periodontitis.

Anti-inflammatory treatment regimen - usually a complex is prescribed, consisting of an antiseptic mouth rinse and application of gel to the gums. The procedures are carried out 2 times a day (morning and evening, after meals and subsequent oral hygiene), for 10 days. Most often, a complex of the following drugs is prescribed:

rinsing with Chlorhexidine (instructions)
“Cholisal-gel” applications (instructions)

In patients with periodontitis, the correct choice of treatment agents is very important. For example, a standard 0.05% solution of chlorhexidine, sold in pharmacies for 40 rubles, is advisable to use only for superficial inflammation of the gums (gingivitis), but for periodontitis it is better to use a 0.2-0.25% concentration of this antiseptic. It is a big plus when such a solution contains not only a good concentration of chlorhexidine, but also other active ingredients (for example, aluminum lactate for bleeding gums or extracts of medicinal plants).

Antiseptic mouth rinse is carried out after breakfast and oral hygiene, rinse your mouth for 1 minute. After this, the gums need to be dried with a dry gauze pad to remove excess saliva, and an anti-inflammatory gel should be applied to the gum edge. The gel is applied in front of a mirror using a finger, and usually only on the front side of the teeth. After such treatment, it is not recommended to eat for 2-3 hours, and also not to drink for 30 minutes. There are a lot of remedies for treating gums, and we hope that our next articles will help you understand their diversity -

→ The best antiseptics for mouth rinsing, → Rating of the best gels for treating gums.

4) Oral hygiene training –

If you have not yet forgotten the beginning of the article, then remember that the cause of periodontitis and destruction of the dental-gingival attachment is unsatisfactory oral hygiene, which leads to the accumulation of microbial plaque and tartar on the teeth. Therefore, in addition to the basic treatment that we described above, it is very important to constantly maintain high-quality oral hygiene.

Good hygiene doesn't mean just brushing your teeth twice a day, that's not enough. Good oral hygiene includes brushing your teeth after every meal, not snacking on cookies or candy between meals, and regularly using dental floss. You can read about absolutely all the recommendations in the article at the link above. Below, you can watch the video on how to properly use a toothbrush and dental floss.

How to use dental floss and brush correctly -

In the presence of periodontal pockets and mobile gingival margins, it is important to carry out hygiene below the gum level. This can be done using special devices - home irrigators. Special attachments allow you to rinse at home not only areas of the oral cavity that are difficult to reach for hygiene, but also periodontal pockets below the level of the gingival margin. Irrigators can use both ordinary boiled water and special medicinal solutions.

Mistakes in self-medication

When trying to get rid of bleeding gums on their own, patients make a number of mistakes. Never worth it:

start taking antibiotics without a prescription - they may not be needed, but the blow to the body will be dealt;
Stop brushing your teeth - this will only lead to a worsening of the condition;
getting too carried away with oral hygiene - this will not save you from complications and will not cure, but will only aggravate the situation due to systematic injury to soft tissues;
be afraid to go to the dentist - modern treatment methods are painless and do not cause discomfort, unlike purulent complications.

Lack of timely and competent treatment of bleeding gums leads to the spread of inflammation to bone formations. As a result, teeth become loose and fall out, requiring implants to be inserted. This is much more expensive than contacting a specialist in time to solve a gum problem.

You should not let the disease progress and self-medicate; come to the Matisse Dent clinic and receive competent medical care.

Classification of dental cracks

A horizontal crack runs parallel to the gum on the tooth. If the tooth is not treated, the upper part may break off.
A vertical crack divides the tooth into several parts. If the crack penetrates below the gum, then an infection can penetrate into it, which will cause inflammation of the gums and tooth disease.
A diagonal crack runs along the tooth surface at an angle. Such cracks cause a part of the tooth to break off. With timely treatment, the tooth can be restored.
An intradental crack can affect the bone tissue of the jaw, which can lead to tooth loss.

Types of gum injuries

Mechanical injury. The most common type of damage. The cause is usually external physical influence. Most often such injuries occur during a fall or from an external blow.

It is possible that injuries may occur during sports activities in strength martial arts - boxing, freestyle wrestling, judo, karate and other sports. Mechanical injuries are easier to diagnose, since in most cases they are accompanied by external injuries, such as bruises, bruises, and even skin tears.

Chemical injury. Such gum injury may be the result of exposure to chemically active drugs. For an inattentive or in a hurry person, it is quite acceptable that he can confuse externally similar liquids, for example, vinegar and water, or a concentrated solution of manganese and currant juice. After such an impact, the gums receive extensive trauma.