Dental Conditions
Bleeding gums
Gums that bleed are not normal, and they are not something to brush past. Bleeding usually indicates the earliest stage of gum disease — which is also the stage at which it is completely reversible.
Why gums bleed
Plaque accumulation is the most frequent cause by a wide margin. When plaque is not removed by daily brushing and cleaning between the teeth, it irritates the gum tissue and causes inflammation. Inflamed tissue bleeds when disturbed.
There is a common and unhelpful instinct to brush the area less because it bleeds. That makes it worse — the plaque stays, the inflammation persists, and the bleeding continues.
What contributes
Plaque at the Gumline
The primary cause. Bacterial biofilm sitting undisturbed against the gum margin, particularly between teeth where a brush does not reach.
Other Contributing Factors
Hormonal changes including pregnancy, certain medications, vitamin deficiencies, and paradoxically aggressive brushing, which traumatises tissue directly.
Progression to Periodontitis
Left untreated, gingivitis advances to periodontitis, where infection moves below the gumline and destroys the bone holding your teeth in place.
How we treat it
Professional cleaning removes the plaque and hardened tartar that home care cannot shift. For most patients with bleeding gums and no bone loss, that plus improved technique resolves it within a couple of weeks.
Where the disease has advanced, scaling and root planing cleans below the gumline. Either way you leave with specific guidance on home care — because what happens between appointments determines whether it stays resolved.
Concerned about your symptoms?
Book an exam. Bleeding gums caught now are a cleaning; ignored, they become bone loss. Call (905) 479-7777.