The shape of your gums is crucial to your overall oral health. If your gums are inflamed and are causing you discomfort, visiting your dentist at your earliest convenience is essential.

Although most people think that gum problems are isolated to the mouth, but in reality they can affect your overall health. Inflamed gums can be a sign of much worse problems to come.

It’s hard to prevent gum inflammation if you don’t know the cause, so we’ve created a list of 10 possibilities:

1. Gum disease

Gingivitis is an infection of the gums. It is treatable and preventable by everyday brushing and flossing, and by keeping your general oral hygiene up to par.

2. Are you Brushing too hard?

You should brush your teeth twice daily but you don’t need to exert yourself to do it. If you find yourself brushing too hard, try an electronic toothbrush. They do the work for you and are also great at preventing gum disease and cavities because their heads can get into hard-to-reach areas of your mouth.

3. Plaque buildup

Bacterial plaque is the filmy white debris that collects on your gumlines. If left unremoved, it can cause major infections.

4. Mouth sores

These minor irritations are often called canker sores. Caused by a wide range of factors such as cold/flu, herpes and infection, they are easy to cure but can cause gum inflammation.

5. Smoking

If you smoke, you are more likely to develop gum disease. Besides swollen or bleeding gums, smoking causes cancer of the mouth.

6. Not enough water/poor diet

If you’re not getting enough vitamin C and calcium in your diet,it may attribute to your swollen gums. Also, if you don’t drink enough water, food has a better chance of sticking to your teeth allowing bacteria to form.

7. Medications

Certain medications, especially those used for high blood pressure can over-produce fibrous gum tissue. This tissue is usually light pink unlike swollen gums which are reddish in colour.

8. Hormones

Some women find their gums swell during pregnancy. This is only temporary and usually goes away after the birth of their child.

9. Tooth Misalignment

If your teeth are crooked or crowded in your mouth, your gums may swell around them. Crooked teeth hare harder to clean and are easy targets for bacteria.

10. Old Dental Restorations

If you’ve had old or faulty dental work done, the area around the restoration can become a hotbed for bacteria and inflame your gums.

Even if you have the best oral health practices in place,your gums can become inflamed by any of the above reasons. Don’t wait until your gums become so swollen it hurts to eat or drink. Come see us and we’ll get to the root problem and offer treatment!