What causes bleeding during and after brushing the teeth?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have been having bleeding gums for two weeks while brushing my teeth, and today there was bleeding a few hours later. What could this indicate? Are there any medications necessary to help? Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your query and attachment (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). From the attachment it is noticable that there is gingival inflammation and localized periodontitis. In a particular area there is recession and inflammation of periodontal ligament and gums.Cause for swelling of gums is the accumulation of plaque and that leads to microorganism to harbour in that area. So that causes infection and inflammation in the gingiva. The main reason for plaque formation is improper cleaning of teeth that leads to accumulation of food and over the period of time leads to formation of plaque. The bleeding gums can be treated and minimised by maintaining proper oral hygiene.

Brush your teeth twice daily.
Use antimicrobial mouthwash daily after brushing.
Use dental floss for cleaning in between the teeth.
Professional scaling should be carried out for cleaning teeth by visiting a dentist.
Health of gingiva and periodontal ligament can be accurately checked with clinical examination only.

Further I need to know few more details.

Do you have any systemic diseases such as diabetes or blood pressure?
For how much time does the bleeding from gums continues?
Do your gums bleed while eating?
Do you have any pus accumulation in the gums?

Kindly get back with the above details for further discussion.

Take care.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

From your explanation mostly your bleeding problem is because of gingivitis and localized periodontitis. Visit your dentist for a clinical examination.

A professional scaling should be carried out for cleaning teeth.
Brush your teeth twice daily.
Rinse your mouth after having a meal.
Gargle with lukewarm water and a pinch of salt in it.
Use an antimicrobial mouth rinse such as Chlorhexidine after brushing.
Use dental floss to clean in between the teeth.
Proper maintenance of oral hygiene will gradually reduce inflammation of the gingiva and periodontal ligament, thereby reducing bleeding.
Moreover, give more emphasis on diet.
Increase intake of food rich in vitamin C that helps in reducing bleeding.

For further discussion, you are welcome.

Take care.