{"id":280,"date":"2015-12-29T20:13:51","date_gmt":"2015-12-29T20:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/dps\/mangrovebaydental.com\/?p=280"},"modified":"2016-10-21T04:53:21","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T04:53:21","slug":"dr-travis-stork-dont-ignore-bleeding-gums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/2015\/12\/29\/dr-travis-stork-dont-ignore-bleeding-gums\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Travis Stork: Don’t Ignore Bleeding Gums"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are bleeding gums something you should be concerned about? Dear Doctor<\/em> magazine recently posed that question to Dr. Travis Stork, an emergency room physician and host of the syndicated TV show The Doctors<\/em>. He answered with two questions of his own: \u201cIf you started bleeding from your eyeball, would you seek medical attention?\u201d Needless to say, most everyone would. \u201cSo,\u201d he asked, \u201cwhy is it that when we bleed all the time when we floss that we think it\u2019s no big deal?\u201d As it turns out, that\u2019s an excellent question \u2014 and one that\u2019s often misunderstood.<\/p>\n

First of all, let\u2019s clarify what we mean by \u201cbleeding all the time.\u201d As many as 90 percent of people occasionally experience bleeding gums when they clean their teeth \u2014 particularly if they don\u2019t do it often, or are just starting a flossing routine. But if your gums bleed regularly when you brush or floss, it almost certainly means there\u2019s a problem. Many think bleeding gums is a sign they are brushing too hard; this is possible, but unlikely. It\u2019s much more probable that irritated and bleeding gums are a sign of periodontal (gum) disease.<\/p>\n

How common is this malady? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, nearly half of all  Americans over age 30 have mild, moderate or severe gum disease \u2014 and that number increases to 70.1 percent for those over 65! Periodontal disease can occur when a bacteria-rich biofilm in the mouth (also called plaque) is allowed to build up on tooth and gum surfaces. Plaque causes the gums to become inflamed, as the immune system responds to the bacteria. Eventually, this can cause gum tissue to pull away from the teeth, forming bacteria-filled \u201cpockets\u201d under the gum surface. If left untreated, it can lead to more serious infection, and even tooth loss.<\/p>\n

What should you do if your gums bleed regularly when brushing or flossing? The first step is to come in for a thorough examination. In combination with a regular oral exam (and possibly x-rays or other diagnostic tests), a simple (and painless) instrument called a periodontal probe can be used to determine how far any periodontal disease may have progressed. Armed with this information, we can determine the most effective way to fight the battle against gum disease.<\/p>\n

Above all, don\u2019t wait too long to come in for an exam! As Dr. Stork notes, bleeding gums are \u201ca sign that things aren\u2019t quite right.\u201d  If you would like more information about bleeding gums, please contact us<\/a> or schedule an appointment<\/a>. You can read more in the Dear Doctor<\/em> magazine article \u201cBleeding Gums<\/a>.\u201d You can read the entire interview with Dr. Travis Stork<\/a> in Dear Doctor<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are bleeding gums something you should be concerned about? Dear Doctor magazine recently posed that question to Dr. Travis Stork, an emergency room physician and host of the syndicated TV show The Doctors. He answered with two questions of his own: \u201cIf you started bleeding from your eyeball, would you seek medical attention?\u201d Needless to … Continue Reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":634,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[2,10,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":635,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280\/revisions\/635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}