It is always surprising to see how common people trivialize bleeding gums. It is rarely a reason for consultation and when I ask “are your gums bleeding? “I often receive the answer “yes, occasionally nothing serious”.
So let’s be clear: yes it’s serious or at least it will be soon! … read more
Madam, if you had your period 365 days a year, would you find it “normal”?
Sir, if you had blood in your urine for more than a year, would you find it “normal”?
Madam, if your nose bled every morning when you blew your nose, would you find it “normal”?
Sir, if a wound on your arm had not healed and had been bleeding every day for 6 months, would you find it “normal”?
Bleeding gums is the first visible symptom of periodontal disease.
Knowing that the periodontal disease is an “evolutionary” disease which causes the progressive destruction of the bone around the teeth, one understands the interest to act in an early and preventive way by knowing that the lost bone is often irreversible.
A bleeding gum is a gum in inflammation, a diseased gum that puts the body in immune exhaustion and makes the bed of bacterial development.
The causes of the periodontal disease are multiple
Local:
– Bacterial plaque: this is the whitish, lumpy deposit that is deposited at the base of the teeth following a lack or insufficiency of brushing.
– The tartar is bacterial plaque that is mineralized with the crystals contained in saliva.
– Poorly adapted dental restorations that will injure the gums and promote bacterial plaque retention in areas inaccessible to cleaning.
– Occlusal problems: When teeth do not fit properly with their antagonists, this causes overpressure, which is accompanied by inflammation of the tissues supporting the tooth.
Genetics: when the periodontal disease is a clinical sign of a genetic disease.
Metabolic:
– Imbalance of the intestinal flora
– Intestinal parasitosis (amoebas)
– Acid/base imbalance
Hormonal:
– Pregnancy
– Menopause
Environmental:
– Tobacco: Paradoxically, heavy smokers rarely bleed from the gums because the gums are asphyxiated by nicotine and tar, but the bone silently destroys itself under the gum. Stopping smoking is essential to hope for a cure.
– Some medications
– Emotional factors and psychological stress
– Malnutrition vitamin C deficiency
– Certain systemic diseases (diabetes, AIDS…)
Symbolic:
The periodontium also called fabric of support of the tooth symbolically represents the ground on which one grew up, builds our roots. The periodontal disease challenges us on our belief concerning our impossibility to realize ourselves because of our origins, because of our education, because of our parents… all this not being stable enough and created in us a feeling of insecurity. We don’t believe that we can deserve a better life, but the good news is that this is just a belief, because in reality, whatever the terrain, we can build and create our dreams.
When the periodontitis is sudden and of fast evolution, it is often linked to a destabilizing event, which makes lose its base and its security (divorce, unemployment, financial problems…).
How to treat bleeding gums
A bleeding gum is an inflamed gum. This means that it becomes red, it swells, it hurts, it bleeds easily on contact (usually when brushing).
So if you have bleeding gums, the first thing to do is to talk to your dentist.
First of all, it will be necessary to make an X-ray to know if it is a simple gingivitis (inflammation without bone loss) or if it is a periodontal disease (inflammation or even infection with localized or generalized bone loss).
If the diagnosis of simple gingivitis without bone loss is made.
Your dentist may suggest a 2-step scaling.
o an inter-dental scaling with the removal of all visible tartar
o Polishing of scaled areas of the teeth.
o Dental hygiene advice will be given (brushing, flossing, interdental brushing).
o A mouthwash and a toothpaste with anti-inflammatory and healing properties will be prescribed for two weeks. A mouthwash and a toothpaste based on plants (papaya leaves, ratanhia, aloe vera, propolis…) or essential oils (clove oil, noble laurel or tea tree) or coconut oil.
o During a second appointment, a fortnight later, the healing of the gum is evaluated. The quality and effectiveness of the brushing will be carefully controlled because they are a guarantee of healing.
o A second tartar removal will be done, to remove all the tartar between the teeth and under the gum because during the first session, bleeding and sensitivity do not always allow a complete scaling.
If the inflammation persists in spite of a good brushing, it will be necessary to look for more general causes at this stage = vitamin C deficiency, intestinal inflammation, acidic ground.
A follow-up in naturopathy would be advised.
How to treat a periodontal disease
If the X-ray shows bone loss around the teeth, it means that you have a more or less advanced periodontal disease depending on the amount of bone destroyed.
The treatment will then have to be more complete and longer in time because it will be necessary to eliminate the causes, to increase the immune defenses and the capacities of regeneration of the gums and to recreate anatomical conditions favorable to an effective hygiene to avoid any recurrence.
A great part of the treatment of the periodontal disease is focused on dental hygiene as long as there will remain bacterial plaque, the healing of the gums will not be optimized.
Then it is necessary to remove the bacterial plaque and the tartar which are under the gum at the place where the bone was destroyed. That is to say along the root in the periodontal pocket. This is called periodontal curettage or surfacing. At this stage, the use of the laser makes it possible to disinfect the periodontal pocket after its cleaning. This type of intense disinfection associated with general treatments (natural of course) allows the gum to recreate an attachment (fragile of course) to the tooth.
If the hygiene is perfect and the general state optimized, little by little, the periodontium consolidates, and the bone destruction stops.
One can manage thanks to specific food supplements (silica, opal, mother-of-pearl) to recreate a little bone but this can be done in an effective way only in complete absence of inflammation. So all this preliminary work is very long and very delicate. It requires a lot of patience on the part of the dentist and a lot of perseverance on the part of the patient! Little by little this collaboration of good actions will arrive at stable results knowing that the controls will have to be maintained for life to avoid any recurrence.
Sometimes despite all this attention, some areas will not heal and will require surgery. Results are random and each case must be evaluated according to local and general conditions.
Can we cure a periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease is very frustrating for both dentists and patients. The treatments are long and expensive, the daily hygiene care constraining and seldom well executed, which explains the difficulties of cicatrization and the needs for regular control. We think we brush our teeth correctly, but clinical evidence proves the contrary… It is very difficult to clean our teeth correctly when we have periodontal disease because the anatomical conditions (retracted gums) create areas that are inaccessible to daily brushing.
Only the dentist with specific instruments will be able to clean under the gum along the roots.
When one has a periodontal disease, one must make a prophylactic follow-up at least twice a year after having made the basic treatment. All the other causes previously mentioned will have to be taken into account and treated. The treatment of a periodontal disease is thus a basic treatment for life, both local and general.
The periodontal disease, a danger for health
Periodontal disease, in addition to oral discomfort (bad breath), has consequences on health in general: infections with risk of septicemia, premature births, erectile dysfunction, chronic sinusitis, etc.
Bacteria of periodontal origin have been found in breast, pancreas, stomach cancer tumors, in the brains of deceased people who have had Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, stroke. The periodontal disease prevents the stabilization of diabetes, maintains a psoriasis as well as rheumatoid polyarthritis.
This is why I advise you to go see a periodontist (dentist specialized in gums) if you have bleeding gums and to intervene as soon as possible before the destruction of the bone puts your teeth and your health in irreversible danger.
Do not listen to those who make you believe that essential oils and food supplements are sufficient to treat periodontal diseases and that it is useless to see a dentist that they denigrate by accusing them of inventing periodontal diseases to carry out very lucrative acts. There are black sheep in all the professions, certainly I agree, but they are not a majority.
Our grandparents ended their life with dentures. Nowadays, the progress and the commitment of dentists for the dental health of their patients means that young people have fewer and fewer cavities, and our old people live better with all their teeth.
So local care and biannual monitoring by your dentist are the basis for the treatment of periodontal disease. Add perfect hygiene and natural medicines locally and in general: here is the winning solution to keep all your life, beautiful teeth and gums healthy!