Eccleshill Dental

 You’re brushing your teeth before bed, you spit into the sink, and you see a tinge of pink. For many people, the reaction is a shrug. We tell ourselves, “I must have brushed too hard,” or “I just flossed for the first time in a week; it’s normal.” Here is the hard truth: Healthy gums do not bleed. If your hands started bleeding every time you washed them, you would rush to the doctor immediately. Yet, we tend to ignore bleeding gums until the problem becomes severe. As a leading dental team in Bradford, we see this scenario daily. Here is why that “pink in the sink” is a major red flag for your oral health and how to fix it before it’s too late. The Silent Alarm: What Bleeding Gums Really Mean Bleeding gums are rarely caused by “brushing too hard” (unless you are using a very stiff brush aggressively). In the vast majority of cases, bleeding is the first sign of Gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. It starts with plaque — a sticky film of bacteria that forms on your teet...

When we think of keeping healthy we often think of diet, exercise and regular medical check-ups. But there is an oft neglected area of health we must think about: gum health! You may be stunned to learn that gum health significantly influences well-being! Gum health and cleanliness is intertwined with many systemic conditions (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s). In this post we will examine the powerful connection of your gums to your general health and, as a reminder, why taking care of your mouth is so much more than having fresh breath and a beautiful smile. The Role of Gum Health in the Body Gums (or gingiva), the soft tissues that line and support the teeth, should be firm, pink, and fit snugly around the teeth. Healthy gums protect the bone below and are less likely to become infected. If plaque (a sticky film of bacteria) isn't removed from the teeth through brushing and flossing, it will infect the gums and lead to gum disease. Gum disease progresses in st...