Bleeding gums are worth listening to.

Healthy gums don't bleed. If yours bleed when you brush or floss, that's not “normal for you” — it's almost always early gum disease, and the encouraging part is that at the early stage it's usually completely reversible.

Why gums bleed

• Gingivitis — plaque along the gumline inflaming the tissue (the most common cause, and reversible)
• Periodontitis — advanced gum disease where infection reaches below the gumline and threatens the supporting bone
• Brushing too hard or a stiff-bristled brush
• New flossing habits — mild bleeding for the first week is common, then should stop
• Medications such as blood thinners
• Pregnancy hormones, which make gums more reactive to plaque

How we treat it

We start with an exam and gum measurements to tell gingivitis from periodontitis — the distinction that determines everything. Gingivitis typically resolves with a professional cleaning and better home technique. If pockets have formed below the gumline, scaling and root planing (a deep cleaning) removes the buildup where your brush can't reach, followed by periodontal maintenance to keep it resolved. Caught early, the fix is simple; ignored, gum disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss — which is why we take bleeding seriously without being dramatic about it.

What it costs to get ahead of it

Many of the plans we work with cover cleanings and exams at 100%, and many cover scaling and root planing at 50–100% (many insured patients pay $0–$135 per quadrant). Without insurance: new patients pay $99 for the exam and X-rays (D0150, D0330, D0210), a routine cleaning is $125, and scaling and root planing runs $200–$335 per quadrant at our office fees — all published, all quoted in writing before we begin.

Content reviewed by Jamisen Kohlman, DMD — KoLa Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, Austin, TX.