Need advice please - gums bleeding

[Rachel]

Hi everyone,

Last dental visit 3 months ago the dentist noticed a spot on my gums that are bleeding easily, but the area was not inflamed or infected so she left it alone. Since then I’ve noticed some bleeding every once and a while after I floss (and I’ve thought that this is no big deal).

Yesterday however the bleeding has increased substantially in the same spot after flossing and brushing. It doesn’t hurt and I don’t have a fever, but I’m really sort of terrified of endocarditis. (No, I’m actually very terrified of endocarditis).

My dentist office is closed until Monday and so I am going to call my cardiologist to let them know about this.

In the meantime, my question is to all of you is – should I be worried and what should I do while I’m waiting?

Thanks in advance!

Rachel

 

[JimL]

My bicuspid valve came with bad teeth, so I've been down the bleeding gums route. Talk to your dentist about it, and in the meantime, I would suggest not irritating those places that bleed.

 

[Duffey]

My bicuspid valve came with bad teeth, so I've been down the bleeding gums route. Talk to your dentist about it, and in the meantime, I would suggest not irritating those places that bleed.

Ditto to Jim's advice. No sense worrying until you talk to the dentist Monday, and steer clear of irritating the place that's bleeding.

 

[Forrest]

Hello,
I agree with the posts above, be careful not to irritate the area. I’m no expert, but sometimes when I get a gum bleed my personal approach is I go easy on my brushing/flossing in that area for a while and gently rinse. I might even skip a flossing of the teeth around the irritation if it looks like it wants to bleed again, or at most go lightly if I think it’s looking good. And maybe augment with a good rinse of mouth wash (the anti-plaque/anti-gingivitis type) before brushing time, but never overdoing anything while it heals because you don’t want to add any irritation to the matter. I skip eating crunching things as well until it heals. It’s good you have a dentist visit on Monday, she’ll be able to see what’s happening. Of course in the rare chance it bleeds more, you’ll know to contact your doctor again or the urgent care clinic for any medical advice (you’ll know what’s right for you, even if you’re just playing it safe). But I bet you’ll be fine, being aware and cautious of the issue is a good preventive measure with our condition, but keep the worry factor low as you await your dental visit and you should be on top of this in no time. Although we don’t want these events to happen and certainly not to fester, they occasionally pop up in every day life and we tend to manage things. But I can understand your concerns and it sounds like your keeping a good watch on things. Remember your cardiologist’s prescribed pre-med protocol before your dental visit. Best wishes!

 

[TheGymGuy]

My dentist/hygienist says that for bleeding gums the solution is to work harder on them to get them to be more resilient, and that they bleed cause they are not flossed enough. This advice might just pertain to me, though, as I only floss several times per week. I do use electric toothbrush and brush twice a day, but flossing sounds like too much work

Anyways, when in doubt check with professionals, I do find that my gums bleed less if at all once I get on 1-2 weeks of regular flossing.

 

[DebbyA]

I find that it's skipping flossing that makes my gums tender. One thing that may give you a little relief until you get the professional ruling is swishing out with warm salt water, just as for a sore throat--it always helps me.

 

[Rachel]

Thanks for all your replies - seriously made me feel better and I'm not freaking out so much!

You know, I do just fine (about 99.9% of the time) until something out of the ordinary happens and then I wonder... "is this harmful?"

I'm still so new to my valve that I think getting past the first really bad cold, the first gum bleed, the first whatever... will just increase my confidence and my knowledge as to what to look out for and what questions to ask the doctors.

In the meantime, as always, so very grateful to you all!

Rachel