Why Do My Gums Bleed If I Haven’t Flossed in a While?

All the bacteria in your mouth are anaerobic meaning they thrive in areas without oxygen.  Around each of your teeth is a cuff that should be approximately one to three millimeters in depth.  In a healthy mouth with healthy gums by brushing and flossing you’re able to keep these areas clean.

Your toothbrush can clean the top, back and fronts of your teeth.   However, the brush cannot get in between your teeth.  This is where dental floss comes in.  The dental floss can get in between your teeth to clean these areas.

When you brush your teeth you bring air into your mouth and the air has twenty percent oxygen.  The oxygen helps to kill the anaerobic bacteria which cause gum disease and tooth decay.  If you do not floss over time the pocket around your tooth becomes deeper.  Once the pocket is more than 4 millimeters deep even if you floss you are unable to reach the base of the pocket.

Food which can remain in the pocket after eating breaks down and releases acids.  Bacteria like dark, warm areas without oxygen and a source of food exactly the environment in your mouth.  The acids irritate your gums and make them more porous or fragile.  The net result is once touched by your tooth brush or floss your gums can begin to bleed. 

In the first phase of gum disease called gingivitis your gums become swollen and bleed upon flossing.  If this is not remedied in the next phase called periodontitis in addition to gum inflammation you begin to lose the bone holding your teeth in your jaws.  Left untreated the final outcome is tooth loss.

So what to do?  If you have not been to the dentist, come on in.  We’ll take a look and see what’s going on.  Next you need to clean your teeth daily once in the morning and then again in the evening.  Think about it.  When you go to sleep if you have not cleaned your teeth and gums it is a bacterial paradise.  So, before you go to sleep brush and floss and this will decrease the levels of bacteria present.  Also, nobody wants morning mouth.

Then upon waking brush and floss again to remove the bacteria that has built up during the night.  Your mouth will feel better and so will you.  So there it is.  Brush and floss in the morning and again at night and come twice per year to see your dentist and you’re on your way to dental health.

At the dental practice of Dr Glenn Reit located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan we like teeth and the people attached to them.  If you need a dental exam and cleaning you’ve come to the right place.  Conveniently located at 1498 Third Avenue between 84th and 85th streets we know teeth and have been treating them for decades.

Times change but teeth don’t.  If you take care of them they will take care of you.                                       

So call today at 212 517 9000.  You’ll be glad you did.

Looking for a Dentist in the Upper East Side?

At the practice of Glenn Reit DDS; we provide quality care in a relaxed, comfortable, clean and safe environment. Please contact us today at 212 517 9000 for this or any other of your dental needs. We look forward to seeing and taking care of you

Do Your Gums Bleed When You Brush Your Teeth?

Bleeding gums can be a sign of periodontal disease or the degradation of the tissue which holds your teeth in your jaws.  When you brush your teeth you should see no bleeding in a healthy mouth.  How do you obtain a healthy mouth?  Some people are lucky. Their genetics lead to a condition where it is hard to develop tooth decay or gum disease.

However, for most of us this is not the case.  For this group going to the dentist for routine cleanings and restoration of diseased teeth is the answer.  When you brush your teeth you bring air into your mouth.  The air has 20% oxygen and oxygen causes bacteria to break down.  The bacteria in your mouth are anaerobic meaning living without oxygen.  This bacteria desires warm, dark places without air.  Your mouth is a perfect environment for this

It is warm around 98.6 degrees, it is dark inside – no light here and there is limited oxygen around the teeth.   When you brush your teeth you bring air and oxygen into your mouth.  You can brush the top, front and back of your teeth but you cannot get in between your teeth.  Dental floss that thin waxed string has the ability to move between your teeth and bring oxygen into this area.  More importantly there is a cuff around each tooth.  In a healthy situation this cuff is one to three mm in depth.  You can therefore wrap the floss around each tooth and move into this cuff or sulcus to aerate the area and remove any food residing there.

When you eat, food begins to break down in your mouth and produce acids.  If you do not remove these acids on a regular basis it will lead to tooth decay and gum breakdown or gum disease.  You notice the beginning of the breakdown when you brush or floss your teeth and you begin to bleed.  

If your gums are not 100% healthy they are ulcerated so when touched they open up and bleed.  You can ignore this situation since it usually does not hurt but it will progress into a worse situation where you begin to lose bone called periodontitis.

By coming in for regular exams and cleaning we can check your mouth for decay and if found restore your tooth to health.  If your gums are bleeding we can do a thorough cleaning and resolve the issue.  If your gum condition has already progressed to a direr situation we have procedures to resolve that.

Your gums, teeth and breath will thank you.

Looking for a Dentist in the Upper East Side?

At the practice of Glenn Reit DDS; we provide quality care in a relaxed, comfortable, clean and safe environment. Please contact us today at 212 517 9000 for this or any other of your dental needs. We look forward to seeing and taking care of you.