People normally ignore flossing and due to this ignorant attitude towards an essential oral hygiene activity they often get involved in orthodontic diseases like gingivitis. We recommend our reader to do flossing twice a day on daily basis in order to keep your teeth and gums healthy and safe from bacteria, plaque, and tartar. Gum bleeding is a common issue among those who have not flossed their teeth for a long time and as a result bacteria, tartar and plaque cause their gums to get swollen.
So if you floss your teeth with swollen gums that are already irritating then you might find your gums and teeth bleeding after flossing. This article is for you if you want to know why your teeth bleed when you floss.
Why Do My Teeth Bleed When I Floss; Common Reason To Bleed When Flossing
Healthy and hygienic teeth don’t bleed. If your gums and teeth bleed while flossing then there would be some reasons to ponder upon. The basic reason for your teeth and gums to bleed while flossing is your unhealthy oral hygiene routine as discussed above. The common reasons in this regard are discussed in detail below:
Periodontal Disease
Read until disease is one of the common reasons that we make your gums and teeth bleed during and after flossing. a particular disease is caused due to the increased inflammation formed due to bacterial plaque or tartar below your gum line. If you are suffering from this disease, we will recommend you to visit your dentist as early as possible so that he can remove the excessive plaque and tartar from your teeth.
Advanced Periodontal Disease
In case if you fail to control your periodontal disease, your chances of losing your bones sporting teeth will be more. It can also cause you to lose your teeth and will enhance the chances for you to get involved in diseases like diabetes, stroke, arthritis, heart and lung disease.
Change In Hormones
There are faces in life when you go through to the change in hormones and this change will ultimately affect your gums and teeth. For this, there can be any of the following situations:
- In case of menstrual cycle.
- It may happen during puberty.
- In case of pregnancy.
- In case of taking birth control medicine.
- In case of menopause.
The change of hormones will cause your blood to flow with increased pressure, ultimately causing your gums to bleed.
Certain Medical Conditions
If your gums and teeth are bleeding, we will suggest you analyze your medical conditions as there are several medical conditions that can cause bleeding teeth or gums during or after brushing and flossing. Consider the following examples in this regard:
- Deficiencies in vitamin K or C.
- In the case of systemic conditions like diabetes.
- In case of hemophilia.
- In case of leukemia.
These are the common medical conditions that can cause your gums to bleed while brushing and flossing but there can be other possible medical conditions as well which can be analyzed and treated by your dentist.
Flossing / Brushing In a Wrong Way
Regular flossing and brushing is really a wonderful habit that can keep your gums and teeth healthy. But you need to make sure that you are doing this regular activity in the right way. For instance, if the bristles on your toothbrush are hard or even less soft, they can be harmful for your teeth and soft gum tissues. Take care of the following things in this regard:
- Make sure that your toothbrush has extra soft bristles.
- Avoid using old toothbrushes.
- Get a new toothbrush after every three months.
Flossing is a highly recommended activity which should be done at least once or twice a day after brushing your teeth in order to keep tartar, bacteria, and plaque away from your gum line. Following is the right way to floss your teeth:
- Be gentle while flossing your teeth.
- Stay focused on your work.
- Make sure to floss through up and down the curve of each tooth.
Causes Of Bleeding Teeth and Gums
It is always better to know something about everything and everything about something. You are very likely to find out the causes of bleeding teeth and gums before making your decision about the situation.
Major causes of bleeding gums and teeth are:
- Flossing your teeth in a rough and wrong way.
- If you’re a newcomer then initial bleeding is normal.
- Vitamin C deficiency.
- Inflamed gums or other orthodontic diseases like gingivitis.
- Smoking and some other medical conditions include drug abuse, stress and diabetes.
Step By Step Flossing Technique
Flossing is somehow tricky and different from brushing your teeth and you might feel difficulty in the beginning. But we will tell you the right way to floss your teeth in order to save your gum tissues so that they don’t bleed due to flossing.
- Step 1 Try to reach the base between each tooth while flossing.
- Step 2 You need to go as down as you can with the floss without hurting your gums.
- Step 3 Never let your floss cut your gum at any cost. Rather move your floss in the right way by moving it back and forth in a cheek-to-tongue direction.
- Step 4 stay focused to set your floss at the right position between your tooth and gum tissue.
- Step 5 scrape your floss against each tooth twice on each side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I brush when my gums are bleeding?
Brushing your teeth twice a day is highly recommended by the dentist around the globe. but 800 different circumstances of bleeding gums. Sometimes the old toothbrush in its worn out bristols can damage your gums and make them bleed. We recommend you to avoid using an old toothbrush rather get a new toothbrush every three months.
What foods should I avoid eating with bleeding gums and teeth?
Starchy food is something you should never eat as it can be one of the causes for your gums to bleed. Such food items include cakes, cookies, breads and potato chips.
What foods should I avoid eating with bleeding gums and teeth?
If your gums are bleeding we will recommend you to eat crunchy vegetables such as carrots. These vegetables will help you to keep your teeth clean and healthy. You can also eat leafy greens such as spinach. Leafy Greens contain Vitamin K that will help you to treat your bleeding gums.
Final Words
To sum up the whole discussion, we would like to say that if you are new to flossing then initial bleeding is normal. In other cases the major causes of bleeding gums include tartar, bacteria, plaque and other gum diseases. In such conditions, we will recommend you to get a toothbrush with extra soft bristles, avoid eating starchy foods and try to eat leafy greens more. One important thing is to understand the art of flossing your teeth by practicing it with focus and gentleness.