Why Do Gums Bleed When Brushing?

ADaily brushing is important for healthy teeth and gums. When your gums bleed during or after brushing, there may be cause for concern. Here are 9 reasons your gums may be bleeding:

Your toothbrush is too hard.

Most dentists recommend that their patients use a soft-bristle brush. Replace your brush often; once the bristles start to fray, they can cause tiny injuries to gums and the soft tissue in your mouth, which leads to bleeding.

You are brushing too hard.

The reason for brushing is to remove plaque and food from teeth and gums. This shouldn’t require a tremendous amount of pressure; let your toothbrush do the work. If you’re pushing too hard on the brush, you might be causing trauma to your gums, which will make them bleed. Lighten up a bit and see if that makes a difference.

You aren’t flossing properly.

The purpose of flossing it to remove bits of plaque and food from in between teeth, but if you’re flossing too aggressively, you may be damaging your gums. Talk to your dentist about proper flossing technique.

You aren’t brushing thoroughly enough.

When you don’t adequately remove plaque at the gum line, your gums may become inflamed, leading to a condition known as gingivitis. One sign of gingivitis is bleeding gums. Take care to brush teeth at the gum line and don’t skip your semi-annual checkup and cleaning.

You have more advanced gum disease.

Skip enough cleanings and you may find that your plaque has hardened into tartar. One sign that plaque has turned into tartar is increased gum bleeding. It’s very important to see your dentist for plaque removal in order to prevent even more advanced gum disease called periodontitis.

You are pregnant.

Some women experience gum bleeding while pregnant. This is due to a change in hormones and isn’t cause for concern. Make sure you’re using a light touch with the toothbrush and don’t let a little bleeding stop you from brushing at least twice a day. Mention your bleeding gums to your dentist or doctor just to make certain that the bleeding is caused by pregnancy hormones.

Your dentures don’t fit properly.

If your dentures are too tight, they could be pinching the gums, which can cause bleeding. Conversely, dentures that are too loose may slide around, rubbing sores on your gums that can bleed during brushing. See you dentist to make sure that your dentures fit properly.