Bleeding gums is something you should not take lightly. It can be a sign or a symptom of a more serious illness, among them, a dangerous lack of vitamins, a hormonal imbalance, an infection inside your body, or worse, early onslaught of leukemia. But if, after seeing a doctor, these more serious illnesses have been ruled out, then bleeding gums become an isolated condition and there are things you can do to treat it.
One of the more common ways of treating bleeding gums is by rinsing the mouth with salt dissolved in warm water. Just mix in a teaspoon or two of salt to a cup of warm water and gargle. The saline solution is known to help heal the gums.
Another substance you can use for gargling is hydrogen peroxide. Look for a 3% solution and mix it with an equal amount of water. Gargle for about 30 seconds and then rinse your mouth. Don’t leave the solution on for too long in your mouth.
Sometimes, bleeding gums can be your mouth reacting to less than ideal conditions. For example, your toothbrush’s bristles may be too hard for your gums that it causes it to bleed when you use it. Also, if you brush too vigorously, it may contribute to bleeding. It may surprise you but overbrushing can also happen and it can result in bleeding gums. Brush your teeth no more than thrice a day.
You should also ‘irrigate’ your mouth often. This means that you should drink a lot of water throughout the day so that bacteria is washed off along with any particles of food that may have accumulated inside your mouth.
Some people love to use mouthwash. If you have bleeding gums, switch to using mouthwash that does not contain alcohol because it can actually increase the amount of time your gums heal. Try to get a mouthwash that has chlorhexidine because it can contribute to the faster healing of your gums. Make sure that you don’t use for more than a month because prolonged use can actually stain your teeth.
Vitamin supplements can help alleviate bleeding gums for some people. Taking Vitamin C, calcium, coenzyme Q10 or folic acid can help with the problem. Aside from vitamin supplements, certain herbs can also heal bleeding gums. Among the herbs you can try include clove, Echinacea and chamomile. These are some of the herbs with known anti-inflammatory effects on the body and you can use it to make infusions, which you can then use as a mouth rinse.
Image from ayurvediccure.com