It's very important for the health of your teeth to clean them properly. A brush and tooth-paste are not enough.
Do you use dental floss?
For more information see: https://www.floss.com/flossing.htm
A question I have been wondering... should flossing cause your gums to bleed or is it that I am doing it too hard? Should you try to avoid your gums when you floss or isn't it necessary to get food from under your gums too?
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should flossing cause your gums to bleed or is it that I am doing it too hard |
Bleeding gums in general is a sign of gingivitis as LDS_forever pointed out. In my case, my gums would bleed even when I didn't floss, and I ended up having to have my gums 'trimmed' because they had created pockets where food could build up and cause infection. Since then I haven't had the problem with bleeding gums.
As for flossing, I try to do so daily, but sometimes I forget. It used to be a pain to floss with the regular string, so I ended up buying a Reach flosser, which is floss with a handle, basically. The head is disposable, and large enough to fit in any part of your mouth. My daughter has even gotten into flossing after purchasing the flosser, so that is a plus. Here is a review of the flosser with a picture.
https://dentistry.about.com/od/dentalproducts/fr/reach.htm
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I ended up having to have my gums 'trimmed' because they had created pockets where food could build up and cause infection. Since then I haven't had the problem with bleeding gums |
The procedure of gum trimming is known as Gingivoplasty. It is mostly used as a cosmetic procedure so that one can show more of their teeth, and less of their gums. However, having more gum covering your teeth can also promote pockets where food can reside. By trimming the gums those pockets are eliminated, and the gum is tighter to the teeth, and easier to clean.
I had to have the procedure done on my lower gums, which is where I was having problems with bleeding. It was done under local anaesthetic, and I was in and out in an hour or so. An oral surgeon will need to perform this type of procedure. There are stitches involved, so periodic check-ups are done, and the stitches are removed in less than a week.