Just one more thing at the end of a long day. You may have thought that brushing twice a day was getting the job done for dental care. If you don’t floss at least twice a day every day, however, you are doing yourself a disservice when it comes to your gums. Don’t neglect your gums. While healthy gums indicate both oral and overall health, unhealthy gums can be a cause for alarm. For example, people with healthy gums have lower chances of diabetes, heart disease, dementia, pregnancy complications, and other chronic conditions. Here’s what to look out for and why you may need to provide your gums with that extra but necessary TLC before your next dental visit.
Your gums’ color, firmness, and/or bleeding are warning signs. This is not just for your oral health, but for your overall health as well. Let’s start with what healthy gums should look like. Healthy gums are usually light pink and firm when you touch them. Brown(ish) gums may not present a problem if your skin tone is darker due to increased melanin in your skin or due to increased sun exposure. Gums and teeth should be without gaps between them. Additionally, healthy gums don’t bleed when you brush or floss them.
Other indications of unhealthy gums are also important to know. Unhealthy gums may be red, swollen, or inflamed. They can be tender or bleed when you brush or floss. They can recede from your teeth. Lastly, unhealthy gums can be whitish, dark, or even as dramatic as purplish in color. Let’s examine the rainbow of colors that signal unhealthy gums.
If your gums are red, look swollen, and feel sensitive and you don’t floss because when you do your gums bleed, then you may have periodontal disease. Gingivitis, the more common name, is the first stage of this disease. If gums are not caught at that first stage and treated, then it can become periodontitis. Catching it quickly is important because this is when the root of the problem is the root of the teeth.
Sometimes, no matter how diligent you are with your oral care, even if you brush three times a day and floss, the state of your gums can deteriorate into gingivitis. As referred to above, this can happen during pregnancy, due to hormonal changes, or because of having diabetes. Because gums can point to other medical conditions, you need to level up your dental care by taking good or better care of your gums and see a dentist and/or dental hygienist regularly as part of your proactive health action plan.
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When is dark no longer lovely? When it develops into the color of your gums, you need to take control of the situation. Too much time spent basking in the sun can darken the color of your skin and your gums beyond their healthy hue. It can also be an extreme symptom if you are a smoker. The nicotine in tobacco can increase the melanin in the gums and result in dark, dull, brownish gums, also called “smoker’s melanosis”. Additionally, darker gums, “gingival melanosis”, can be a side effect if you take certain meds like oral contraceptives or some psych meds, like tricyclic antidepressants. Your gums’ appearance can reflect your personal habits.
Another sign of the beginning stages of gingivitis is the other extreme in color: white or pale gums. White gums manifest when plaque has started to build up while a paler gum color can be due to “iron deficiency anemia” or not having enough iron.
Scheduling regular checkups with your dentist for routine cleanings and exams can keep your teeth and gums healthy before it is too late. The dentist or hygienist will be able to assess your gums’ condition and recommend your best next steps, like having more regular cleanings (for example, twice a year or quarterly instead of once a year), starting a more active and consistent regimen of flossing your teeth or coming into the dental office for more frequent visits to monitor your gums until you are out of the danger zone. Your healthcare provider can request bloodwork that can help by checking for iron deficiency and making recommendations that might be as simple as taking an iron pill or changing your diet to incorporate more iron-rich foods.
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Gingivitis has diverse manifestations and may show up as yellow or yellowing gums that are inflamed and painful. Yellow or yellowing gums over time will increase redness, bleeding, and sensitivity. See a dentist right away if this is your gum condition. Bleeding, sensitive gums, no matter how occasional, are not normal and often require monitoring and treatment if they persist or your condition worsens to being accompanied by pain.
Purple gums are another higher-alert dental symptom of gingivitis becoming more severe. Severely gingival gums can also appear as bruises in this manifestation. This purple gum color shows that what was once gingivitis has become periodontitis. The periodontal tissue at this stage has changed from red and inflamed to purple, swollen, and bleeding.
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Gray and dull gums mean a compromised immune system. There are several possible causes. Stress, hormonal changes, excessive smoking, and some bacterial and fungal infections can be the catalysts. Some conditions can be helped by medicine and professional healthcare treatment, but others demand a lifestyle change. Get help with whatever your situation may be and take positive action.
Your gums should be more than an afterthought and not forgotten and passed over as unimportant. They are as important for total health as a blood pressure reading or a cholesterol test result. A white smile is beautiful, but gum health is equally necessary to support it. Partner with your dental team for total oral care. Just as mammograms, colonoscopies, pap smears, and certain age-specific vaccines are part of personal healthcare responsibility as you grow older, remember to take care of your gums and stay alert to the message their color is sending and respond.
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