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What you can do if your gums bleed

We all know it: You are brushing your teeth and suddenly the gums start to bleed. Even if it does not necessarily hurt, many people get a fright at first. Bleeding gums are a serious alarm signal, but also a widespread symptom that you can get a good grip on at home. Bleeding gums often occur as a result of a lack of oral hygiene. Once you have significantly improved these, you will no longer suffer from gum problems. In this article, we will show you what you can do if your gums bleed while brushing your teeth and how to effectively prevent bleeding gums. Because a healthy mouth and body primarily includes healthy gums.

Causes of bleeding gums

Due to inadequate oral hygiene (too rare and incorrect brushing), bacteria in the dental plaque attack the gums and it becomes inflamed. The gums are reddened and swollen and can quickly start bleeding when brushing your teeth when using dental floss or other touches. Bleeding is a vascular reaction as a result of a defensive reaction in the organism. 

Inflamed gums (gingivitis) are easily curable by thorough oral hygiene. However, if the inflammation has progressed and there is inflammation of the entire periodontium (periodontitis), this must be treated as part of dental therapy.

If you are unsure, have further questions or suffer from heavy bleeding gums, see your dentist.

What helps against bleeding gums?

The most important thing to stop or prevent bleeding gums is thorough oral hygiene. This includes:

Brushing your teeth 2 times a day: The choice of your toothbrush also plays a significant role here. Did you know that you can remove plaque and bacteria from your teeth much more effectively with a modern sonic toothbrush than with a manual toothbrush? The Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean, for example. The ProtectiveClean has a pressure control that alerts you if you press too hard, while the soft sides of the brush head gently adjust to the contours of your gums. With the Premium Gum Care brush head, you can additionally improve the health of your gums.
Clean interdental spaces: DSince plaque and bacteria mainly accumulate in the interdental spaces, you should clean them daily with dental floss, interdental brushes or the Philips AirFloss Ultra.
Apply mouthwash: An antibacterial mouthwash solution provides a good addition to your daily dental care program.
Professional tooth cleaning: Have your teeth professionally cleaned by your dentist. Professional tooth cleaning removes tartar and plaque – the most common triggers for bleeding gums.

In addition to conscientious oral care, there are a few things you can do yourself to prevent bleeding gums when brushing your teeth:

Avoid excessive consumption of foods and drinks that attack tooth enamel and promote bacterial plaque. These include sweets, cakes, highly acidic fruits, soft drinks and fruit juices
Avoid smoking.
Pay attention to the right toothbrushing technique. Read here how it works.

Teach your children from the very beginning what belongs to conscientious oral care and why it is so important. In this way, they can reduce the risk of caries, gingivitis and other diseases and together enjoy beautiful teeth and a healthy body.