Never Take Your Healthy Teeth for Granted

A lot of people think that seeing a little bit of blood when they brush their teeth is perfectly normal. However, like in most cases, seeing blood isn't good. It means that you have a problem. The more blood, the bigger the problem. If you are seeing blood when you brush, that's a sign that you have gum disease, also known as gingivitis. There are several other signs that you have this problem. 

Puffy Gums

Another sign that you might have gingivitis is that you have puffy gums. The puffiness would be right around where they meet your teeth, and may be worse after you brush your teeth. That's because you are irritating the gums that are already irritated. The puffier your gums are, the more severe the gingivitis is. 

Receding Gums

If your gums are starting to recede and you have less gum around the root of your teeth, then that's a sign that you have advanced gum disease. As part of your gum disease, pockets start to form around the base of your teeth, right where the teeth meet the gums. Those pockets let plaque and bacteria gather in them, which is what irritates your gums, causes them to be puffy and causes them to recede. The more your gums recede, the bigger those pockets are. The larger the pockets, the puffier your gums are going to be and the more they are going to recede. It's a vicious cycle. 

Bad Breath

Another symptom of gingivitis is that you have bad breath, no matter how much you brush your teeth or use mouthwash. There's a good reason for this. It leads back to the fact that those pockets are forming around the roots of your teeth and that there is all that bacteria that is gathering there. That bacteria, along with causing cavities and your gums receding, can cause your bad breath. The bad breath may be alleviated somewhat after you brushed your teeth, but it will come back during the day and get worse the longer your day goes. You may want to brush your teeth during the day, like after lunch, just to make things better. 

If you think that you have gum disease, you should get into see your dentist as soon as possible. You want to do everything you can to treat your gum disease as quickly as possible, so that you can keep any permanent damage from happening.