January 28, 2016

More people are at risk for gum disease than realize it, but that doesn’t have to be a serious concern. Keeping an eye on your oral health and communicating regularly with your dentist about any changes you notice can be enough to keep you on an even keel, even if you start to develop some of the early symptoms of gingivitis like bleeding gums. The key is just to combine vigilance and prevention.

Common Signs and Symptoms

In addition to bleeding, keep an eye out for the following symptoms, and talk to a dentist in Chesapeake, VA if you experience any of them with bleeding or if you experience multiple symptoms.

  • Swelling
  • Receding gums
  • Constant bad breath
  • Chronic or recurring mouth sores
  • Loose teeth

Typically, the earliest signs will involve bleeding gums while brushing and flossing with swelling or tenderness, but it is possible for gums to start receding without any swelling. This is especially true if your diet or lifestyle includes food and drink that can contribute to recession, such as high alcohol consumption. Looking out for these signs is important, because gum disease typically does not cause a lot of pain and discomfort in its early stages, so it can be easy to miss.

Management and Treatment

In extreme cases, gum disease is treated with surgical or semi-surgical procedures like a gingivectomy. Most of the time, though, treatment involves care, lifestyle changes, and maybe medication, such as an antibiotic. Since gum disease is a chronic condition and an infection, it will be important to tailor any treatment to be compatible with other medications and treatments you may be using for other conditions.

Prognosis and the course of treatment are both fairly dependent on when the diagnosis is made, though, and there are a lot of individual factors like other health conditions and family history that need to be taken into account. Dr. Cranham has extensive experience with bleeding gums and gum disease. Call (757) 251-9902 to make him your dentist in Chesapeake, VA.

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