Should I Brush Bleeding Gums?

Should I Brush Bleeding Gums?

1st April 2022

Nobody likes to see blood in the sink, but what should you do if you do spot it?

It’s always alarming when you spot blood in the sink when you’re brushing your teeth and it’s a natural reaction to immediately stop brushing – after all, surely brushing the area will aggravate it and cause it to bleed more?

This isn’t the case, says dentist Doctor Rhona Eskander of the Chelsea Dental Clinic. “The worst thing you can do is avoid brushing that area,” she cautions. Instead, you should actually continue brushing, particularly in the area where blood is coming from. Why? Because bleeding gums are a symptom of gum disease, or gingivitis, a sign that you haven’t been cleaning that area effectively. “Ignore the bleeding. It will get worse before it gets better, so just keep on brushing.”

“Gum disease occurs when you have failed to eliminate the plaque from the surface of your teeth during routine brushing and flossing,” explains dentist Sunny Sihra owner of the Simply Teeth Clinic in Essex. The build-up of plaque in that area results in swollen, tender gums that bleed when you brush and floss.

It’s vital not to ignore bleeding gums, as gum disease can have a serious knock-on effect on your health as it has been linked to heart disease and heart attacks diabetes, strokes and rheumatoid arthritis. Inflammation can enter the bloodstream and the NHS points out that it is believed to slowly damage blood vessels in the heart and brain over a long period of time.

You’re not alone in immediately downing tools when you see blood in the sink; according to a 2019 survey by the Oral Health Foundation, almost one in five people immediately stop brushing, while nearly one in ten stops brushing altogether. “The last thing we should be doing if we experience bleeding gums is stopping brushing – even if the area is tender,” warns Doctor Zainab Al Mukhtar of Harrow on the Hill Dental. “If our gums are bleeding it is because we need to brush more or amend our brushing method to make it more effective.”…

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