My gums hurt when I brush my teeth. What does this mean?

Have you been noticing small traces of blood while brushing your teeth? Do your gums and teeth hurt while chewing food? If so, chances run high that you have developed an infection in the gums, such as gum disease or periodontitis.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease affecting the gums. Patients with this infection experience severe pain, bleeding, swelling, and the release of pus from the gums. When the disease is left untreated for a long time, the infection could spread to the teeth and the underlying jawbone as well, causing loss of teeth and jawbone deterioration.

How is periodontitis caused?

No matter how dedicated we are to maintaining optimum oral health, microbes get left behind in the mouth, and they keep multiplying constantly. They get deposited on the teeth as a thin, transparent, and sticky film called plaque. The plaque has to be removed regularly to prevent it from forming tartar, a dark and sticky substance that has the ability to erode the enamel and upset one’s oral health.

The bacteria in tartar release toxic acids that infect the gums and the teeth, leading to gum diseases. This causes the tissues of the gums to decay, resulting in inflammation, bleeding, and the formation of an abscess. Tissues damaged due to periodontitis cannot be healed and will have to be removed surgically.

What is periodontal maintenance?

Periodontal maintenance is the collective term for all the procedures that help prevent the spread of periodontitis. It is required for patients who are either diagnosed with the disease or had it in the past. Brushing and flossing at least twice a day get rid of the harmful bacteria from the mouth. In addition to these, an antimicrobial mouth rinse can also be used to keep your mouth fresh and clean.

Regular visits to the dentist’s office, at least once in six months, are necessary to check the tartar formation, infections, receding of gums, cavities, etc. We may recommend scaling and root planing as a means of oral cleaning, which are procedures used to remove the accumulated plaque and tartar from the teeth and roots.

Contact Sugar Land Dental in Sugar Land, TX, for the best dental care. To book an appointment, call (281) 980-5100 or visit us at 101 Southwestern Blvd Suite 204, Sugar Land, TX 77478.