Neglecting hygiene for a few days<\/em><\/strong>Perhaps during a trip, a cold, if we have been hospitalised or have had a close relative in hospital and have spent a lot of time with them... or simply because we have accumulated a few days off or holidays and we have 'relaxed'. If we go from taking care of our daily dental hygiene as we should to 'leaving it a little aside', it is likely that when we go back to brushing properly, some areas will bleed. In that case, the best advice I can give you is to brush thoroughly there. Don't make the classic mistake of stopping brushing to 'see if it heals', as it will be worse. If after two or three days you continue to bleed, then yes, you will need to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to side effects of medication<\/em><\/strong>Some medications may cause inflammation of the gums and acidification of the PH of saliva among their side effects, or perhaps dry mouth, which will lead to increased tartar or caries formation and localised bleeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hormonal changes<\/em><\/strong>Hormonal changes such as those caused by pregnancy, adolescence or the menopause, among others, are very pronounced in the gums, giving rise to inflammation and the formation of supra and sub gingival calculus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quitting smoking<\/em><\/strong>Tobacco is tremendously harmful to oral health, something you are undoubtedly aware of whether you are a smoker or not, because nowadays (and by law) even cigarette packets carry advertisements warning about it. This is because, among other reasons, the irrigation and oxygenation of the gums decreases, so that in general a smoker will always have bad gums. Even so, when giving up tobacco, it is possible that the patient's gums may start to bleed. However, this is a good sign, as it is due to the fact that they have become inflamed because they are regaining oxygenation. Normally a smoker's gums do not bleed, despite their poor state of health, due to the poor irrigation caused by smoking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When wearing orthodontics, bridges or implants<\/em><\/strong>Any artificial item in the mouth is more likely to be invaded by bacteria and thus inflame the gums and cause bleeding more easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are some of the reasons, but you may still be wondering, okay, but....<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to the presence of plaque or dental calculus<\/em><\/strong>This is what has actually happened in most of the above cases we have described. It also tends to happen to most people when it has been a while since their last dental hygiene, no matter how good their home hygiene routine is, and that is why we usually schedule them every so often, depending on the patient's needs, to prevent this type of case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dental plaque accumulates between the teeth and the gums, which together with bacteria causes dental calculus, which irritates the gums and causes inflammation. The gum will then increase in size, lose its healthy shape and colour and bleed, sometimes causing discomfort and sometimes not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this condition leads to loss of the bone supporting the teeth, it is called gingivitis, a reversible disease. However, if not treated in time, it will continue to progress leading to bone destruction, called periodontal disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/velezylozano.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/por-que-sangran-las-encias.jpeg?w=800&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy does the bleeding happen?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n