What Do Bleeding Gums Mean After Flossing?

If your gums bleed after you floss, you might be a little scared. After all, it’s not normal for gums to bleed after routine dental care! Bleeding gums don’t always mean there’s a severe problem with your oral health, but it shouldn’t be ignored.

Consider the potential causes of bleeding gums and seek help from your dentist to ensure your gums are healthy and strong.

Potential Causes of Bleeding Gums

There are several reasons that gums bleed after flossing. If you don’t floss regularly, your gums might be a little sensitive because they aren’t used to the pressure. This can cause minor bleeding the first few times you floss.

Bleeding might also be a sign you’re flossing too aggressively or incorrectly.  Your gums are strong enough to protect your teeth, but they can still suffer damage from harsh flossing or wrong techniques.  You might need to be gentler while flossing to avoid irritating them.  If you aren’t sure how to floss, ask your dentist or dental hygienist to demonstrate proper flossing techniques.

The most common reason behind bleeding gums, however, is gingivitis – inflammation of the gum tissue.  When plaque is present on the teeth near the gums, the gums become inflamed.  This causes your gums to appear red, swollen and sensitive.  If you have gingivitis, flossing can irritate the gums further, causing them to bleed.

Once they notice their gums bleed after flossing, many people stop flossing altogether.  But this isn’t the right choice for your dental health!  Bleeding gums are actually a warning sign that you need to pay more attention to your gum health, not less.

Gingivitis develops when plaque isn’t cleaned away thoroughly.  By not flossing, you’ll allow more plaque to build up around and under your gum line.  Over time, this can lead to a more serious gum problem called periodontitis (gum disease).  Gingivitis is reversible, but periodontitis is much more difficult to deal with.  That’s why it’s so important to identify and treat gingivitis early on to protect your gums and the underlying support for your tooth root. Continuing to floss is a necessary step!

How to Stop Your Gums from Bleeding

Obviously, it’s not pleasant to experience bleeding gums.  You’ll want to put a stop to the bleeding as soon as possible to reduce pain, sensitivity and your risk for gum disease.

Brushing and flossing twice a day can help remove the plaque that will cause gum irritation. Remember to brush in gentle circles and to angle your brush toward the gum line (up on top teeth and down on bottom teeth).  This ensures that you brush away as much bacteria around the gums as possible.  Follow this up by gently flossing around each tooth.

If your gums continue to bleed even after you brush and floss regularly, make an appointment with your dentist. A dental exam will identify whether the inflammation is due to gingivitis or something else, and your dental team can give you tips on how to reverse the condition.  You might also need a professional cleaning to remove the plaque or tartar from the gum line, which helps reduce inflammation.

If your gums bleed after flossing, don’t ignore the problem! It’s likely a sign of a larger issue you need to address to prevent gum disease.  By paying more attention to your flossing habits, you can help your gums heal and prevent bleeding in the future.