19 Feb 2025

Don’t Settle For Bleeding Gums!

My name is Nayanthara and I’m one of the dentists here at Museum Dental Suite. As well as providing beautiful smiles my priority as dentist is to ensure my patient’s oral health is optimum. A lot of us notice bleeding after brushing and don’t think twice about it. We see it so often it has led us to just accept it as part of normal life. This blog post is to explain why you shouldn’t ignore it!

Why do my gums bleed?

The most common reason for bleeding gums is an improper oral hygiene regiment. We all can (mostly) get on board with brushing twice a day but cleaning in between teeth is pretty much neglected.

Failing to do this causes food and dental plaque to build up in places you can't see. Even though you don’t notice it your immune system does! Your immune system goes into fighting mode to tackle the bacteria that is building up in these spots. So when your gums bleed it’s a sign that this fight is on-going. If you carry on ignoring this over a long period of time you risk losing your teeth to gum disease.

How can this impact any cosmetic dental work I want?

If you want to improve your smile and you are considering having cosmetic dental treatment, I encourage you to start with taking care of your gums first. When doing fillings, veneers, or even crowns, blood from unhealthy gums can cause technical difficulties and weaken the bond of your restorations.  As well as this, unhealthy gums are swollen and bulges out which can also ruin the aesthetic outcome of your veneers or composite bonding.

What can I do?

Healthy gums are something you are in control of! While the dentist and hygienist are here to support you along the way with treatment and advice, ultimately you have the most power in improving your gums. It all bottles down to the oral regiment you follow at home. As with anything in life, consistency is key!

Interdental brushes are a great way to clean in between teeth. These small brushes are thorough and efficient. Make sure you try different colours and use the best fitting ones. Remember some teeth have bigger spaces in between them than others. You have to use the tightest fitting one that is able to go all the way in and out. This combined with brushing twice a day with an electric toothbrush will guarantee healthy gums.